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HISTORY 
 
 STATE OF NEW YORK. 
 
 FOB THE nSB OF 
 
 COMMON SCHOOLS, ACADEMIES, NORMAL AND 
 HIGH SCHOOLS, 
 
 AND OTHER SEMINABIES OF INSIBUCIION. 
 
 S. S. EANDALL, 
 
 ■UPBUNUNsiuiT or pvBuo soaoou OF THi omr or nw tobk. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 J. B, FORD AND COMPANY. 
 
 1871. 
 
Kotered •eeoidlng to Act of Congreu, Id the year 1869, hj 
 
 J. B. FORD AND COMPANY, 
 
 in the Clerk'B Office of the Siatrict Comt fbr the Soathem District of New York. 
 
 University Press: Welch, Bigelow, & Co, 
 Cambrioge. 
 
PKEFACE. 
 
 So far as I am aware, the compilation now presented to the 
 public is the first attempt at providing for our elementary and 
 higher institutions of learning a separate History of the State 
 of New York. Many of the most important events in that 
 history are, it is true, contained in the current school histories 
 of the United States ; necessarily, however, greatly abridged and 
 condensed. It has seemed to me, and to others interested in the 
 work of popular education, that some attempt should be made 
 to supply this deficiency by presenting within a convenient 
 compass the prominent outlines of those interesting details 
 which have rendered our own " Empire State " so conspicuous 
 in the history of the great American BepubUc. 
 
 In the execution of the work it has, of coiuse, been found 
 necessary to draw very largely upon the materials furnished by 
 the earher and later annalists of the State and nation; and I 
 take especial pleasure in acknowledging the obligations I have 
 been under to my esteemed Mend, Maby L. Booth, whose 
 " History of the City of New York," as condensed fi-om the 
 most reliable sources, embodies the principal events of that of 
 the State up to the period of the Revolutionary War. I have 
 also been greatly indebted to Judge Hammond's " Political His- 
 tory " of the State for a clear and lucid detail of the successive 
 administrations of the government from its origin to the ter- 
 mination of that of Governor Weight. From that period to 
 the close of the present year I have carefully consulted the 
 
iy PREFACE. 
 
 various Public Documents of the State, and the contemporary 
 annals of the public press. To my respected friend, Henbt 
 B. Dawson, the weU-known author of the " Battles of the 
 American Republic," I am under special obligations for the ac- 
 curate details of the military and naval contests which have shed 
 so brilliant a lustre upon our history as a State. 
 
 The Appendix will be found to contain the Constitution of 
 the State as amended by the Convention of 1867 - 68 ; a statis- 
 tical account of the population according to the census of 1835, 
 and the several subsequent enumerations down to 1870 ; lists 
 of the respective Crovemors from 1624 to the present time, 
 and Lieutenant-Governors and Speakers of the Assembly from 
 the period of the adoption of the first State Constitution ; and 
 lists of Railroads and Canals in the State, their extent, and the 
 cost of their construction and maintenance. 
 
 In the confident hope that the work may be found worthy of 
 adoption in our common schools, academies, and other semi- 
 naries of learning throughout the State, I respectfully commend 
 it to the &vorable regard of the great body of teachers, school 
 officers, and other friends of education, within its borders. 
 
 S. S. RANDALL. 
 Kew Toee, January, 1870. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Pagx 
 Pbtbical Fbatubbs of thb Siatb. — FiTBLic WoBKS. — Gbol- 
 
 OQT. — CLI1U.TE, ETC 7-9 
 
 FIRST PERIOD. 
 
 IKDIAN OCCUPANCT. 
 
 The Algonqnins or Delawares. — Mohegans. — Manhattans. — The Five 
 Nations. — Character and Objects of the Confederacy. — Chiefs, 
 Sachems, and Orators. — The Tortoise, Bear, and Wolf Tribes. — 
 Founders of the Confederacy. — Traditions. — Strawberry of the 
 Great Spirit. — Conquests of the Iroquois. — Accession of the Tus- 
 caroras — Fidelity to the English. — Compaiative Nombers . .10-13 
 
 SECOND PERIOD. 
 DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS. — THE DUTCH GOVERNMENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 John de Verrazzano. — Samuel Champlain. — Heniy Hudson. — His 
 Employment by the Dutch East India Company. — Entrance into 
 New York Bay. — Intercourse with the Indians. — Discovery of the 
 River. — Voyage tip the Hudson to Albany. — Return to Europe. — 
 His Death. — Fur-Trade Expeditions from Holland. — Adrien Block. 
 — Foundation of New York City. — Explorations and Discoveries. — 
 New Charter. — Association of Merchants. — United New Nether- 
 lands Company. — Indian Council at Tawasentha. — Treaty of Al- 
 liance. — Progress of the Fur-Trade. — English Claims. — Charter 
 to Ferdinando Gorges and his Associates. — West India Company. — 
 Colonization of New Netherlands. — Comelissen Jacobsen May. — 
 Settlements on Manhattan and Long Island and Fort Orange. — Wil- 
 liam Verhnlst 14-19 
 
 CHAPTER II. — Aduinistsatxon of Peteb Minuit. 
 
 Purchase and Settlement of Manhattan Island. — Friendly Relations with 
 English Colonists. — Chiuxsh Organization. — Murder of a Westches- 
 ter Indian. — Grants of Territory to Patroons and other Settlers. — 
 Introduction of Slavery. — The Kensselaerwyck Patroons. — Progress 
 of Manhattan Colony. — Controversy with Patroons. — English 
 Claims. — Recall of Minuit. — Swedish Settlement on the Delaware. 
 —Death of Minnit 19-22 
 
yj CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER m. — Abministeatiok op Woutee Van Twillee. 
 
 His Character. — Controversy with Dominie Bogardus. — Adam Koe- 
 landsen, the First Teacher. — Rebuilding of the Fort. — Erection of 
 a Church. — Jacob Eelltins's Visit to Manhattan. — Defiance of the 
 Governor's Authority. — Proceedings of Van TwiUer — Difficulties 
 ■with the English Colonies on the Connecticut. — Invasion and Re- 
 conquest of Fort Nassau. — Rapacity and Wealth of Van Twiller. — 
 Controversy with Van Dincklagen. — Recall of Van Twiller. — Pur- 
 chase of Pavonia 22-24 
 
 CHAPTER IV. — Administratioh op Wilhelm Kiefi. 
 
 Difficulties with the Swedish Colonies. — New Charter of Privileges. — 
 Settlements on Long Island. — Indian Hostilities. — Attack upon the 
 Raritan, Westchester, and Mohawk Indians. — Indian Massacre at 
 Pavonia. — Terrible Retaliation. — Murder of Anne Hutchinson. — 
 Massacre of Long Island and Connecticut Indians. — Treaty of 
 Peace 2B-81 
 
 CHAPTER V. — Administbation op Peteb Stutvbsant. 
 
 Bepresentative Council. — Treatment of the Indians. — Adjustment of 
 Boundaries between the Dutch and English Governments. — Man- 
 hattan and Brooklyn Governments. — English Intrigues. — Recon- 
 quest of Swedish Forts on the Delaware. — Renewal of Indian Hos- 
 tilities. — Patent to the Duke of York. — Surrender of the Colony to 
 the English. — Death of Governor Stuyresant 82-36 
 
 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 ENGLISH GOVERNMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. — Administrations op Gotbbnobs Niooli.8, 
 Lovelace, and Andeob. 
 
 New City Charter. — Arbitrary Measures of Lovelace. — Beoonqnest 
 by the Dutch. — Restoration to the English. — Proceedings against 
 Lovelace and Manning. — Arbitrary Conduct of Andros — His recall 37-40 
 
 CHAPTER n. — Administbation op Thomas Donqan. 
 
 Representative Assembly. — Charter of Liberties. — Arbitrary Meas- 
 ures of James II. — Alliance and Conquests of the Iroquois. — Coun- 
 cil at Albany. — Invasion of the French. — De la Barre. — Denon- 
 ville. — Lambert. — Retreat of the French. — Recall of Governor 
 Dongan. — Abdication of James U. — Organization of Parties. — Ja- 
 cob Leisler 41-46 
 
 CHAPTER III. — Administrations op Jacob Leisler and 
 Govebnobs Slouqhter and Elbtcheb. 
 
 Committee of Safety. — The Battery. — Burning of Schenectady. — ■* 
 Naval Expedition against Quebec and Montreal. — Arrival of In- 
 goldsby and Governor Sloughter Refusal of Leisler to surrender 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 the Government. — Arrest and Execntion of Leisler and MUbome. — 
 Treaties with the Iroqnois. — Governor Fletcher. — Bradford's Print- 
 ing-Press. — Chnrch Controversy. — Trinity Chnrch. — Invasion of 
 Frontenac. — Piratical Depredations 46-49 
 
 CHAPTER IV. — AsMINISTBATIONB OF THE EaBL OF BeLLA- 
 MONT, LOEDS COBNBUBT ASD LOVEUICE, AND LlEUTEMANT- 
 GOVEBNOB InGOLDSBT. 
 
 Captain WiUiam Kidd Honors to Leisler and Milbome. — Trial 
 
 and Conviction of Bayard. — Lord Combury. — Establishment of a 
 Grammar-School. — Lord Lovelace. — Qneen Anne's War. — Expe- 
 ditions against Canada 49-62 
 
 chapter v. — ashikibtbationb of kobebt humtkb, 
 William Busnbt, and John Montgomebie. 
 German Immigrants. — Lewis Morris. — Failnre of the Canadian Ex- 
 peditions. — Governor Hunter and the Assembly. — Court of Chan- 
 cery. — Chief-Justice Morris. — Peter Schuyler. — Governor Burnet 
 
 — His Counsellors. — French Missionaries and Traders. — Conven- 
 tion at Albany. — Opposition of the Assembly. — New York Gazette. 
 
 — Governor Montgomerie 62-66 
 
 CHAPTER TL — Administbation of Goveenob Cosbt. 
 Contest with Bip Van Dam. — Arbitrary Measures of Cosby. — Trial 
 and Acquittal of John Peter Zenger on an Indictment for Libel. — 
 Popular Triumph. — Andrew Hamilton. — Sons of Liberty . . 66-69 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. — Adminibtbations of Geobge Clabke, Adhibal 
 Clinton, Sib Danvebs Obbobne, and Sib Chables Habdt. 
 
 Dissolution of the Assembly. — Disfranchisement of Jews. — Slavery 
 in New York. — The Negro Plot. — Beign of Terror. — Number of 
 Victims. — Dissensions with the Assembly. — Popular Discontent. — 
 Suicide of Governor Osborne. — Lieutenant-Governor De LanCey. — 
 Changed Position of Parties. — Sir Charles Hardy . . . . 68-«3 
 
 POTTRTH PERIOD. 
 
 IBENCH AND INDUN WAB. 
 
 CHAPTER I. — Adminibtbation of Libutenant-Gotebnoe De 
 
 Lancet. 
 
 French Incursions. — Washington's Mission to St. Pierre. — Fort du 
 Quesne. — Surrender of Fort Necessity. — Treaties with the Iroquois. 
 
 Convention at Albany. — Franklin's Plan of Confederation. — 
 
 Events of 1755. — General Johnson's Campaign. — Fort Edward. — 
 Lake George. — Bepulse of Dieskau. — Fort WiUIam Henry. — Shir- 
 ley's Expedition against Niagara. — Campaign of 1756. — Attack 
 upon Oswego. — Death of Colonel Mercer. — Quartering of Troops in 
 New York fl*-69 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 Campaign of 1767. — Siege of Fort William Henry. — Treachery of 
 Webb. — Snrrender of the Fort and Massacre of the Garrison by the 
 Indians. — Campaign of 1768. — Attack upon Fort Ticonderoga. — 
 Death of Lord Howe. — Betreat of the English. — Fort Frontenac. — 
 Capture of Forts Dn Qnesne, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Ki- 
 agara. — Siege and Capture of Qnebec. — Death of Wolfe and Mont- 
 calm. — Capture of Montreal. — Naval Warfare Treaty of Peace. 
 
 — Death of Lieutenant-Governor De Lancey. — Administration of 
 Cadwallader Colden and Bobert Monckton. — Independence of the 
 Judiciary 70-76 
 
 FIFTH PEEIOD. 
 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Relation between the Colonies and England. — Restrictions upon Com- 
 merce and Navigation. — Sacrifices of the Colonies. — Demands of the 
 Crown. — Passage of the Stamp Act — Its reception in the Colonies. 
 
 — Proceedings at New York. — First Colonial Congress. — Decla- 
 ration of Rights. — Arrival of the Stamps. — Proceedings of the Sons 
 of Liberty. — Attack on the Fort. — Non-Intercourse Agreement. — 
 Articles of Confederation proposed. — Arrival of Sir Henry Moore as 
 Governor. — Proceedings of the Assembly. — Repeal of the Stamp 
 
 Act — Patriotic Celebrations. — Erection of the Liberty Pole . 76-82 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 Controversies between the Governor and Assembly. — Disturbances be- 
 tween the Soldiers and Citizens. — The Liberty Pole. — Legislative 
 Powers of the Assembly suspended. — Tax on Tea. — Indignation 
 of the Colonies. — The Sons of Liberty. — Proceedings of the Assem- 
 bly. — Renewal of Non-Importation Agreement. — Death of Governor 
 Moore. — Lieutenant-Governor Colden. — Public Meetings. — Issue of 
 Colonial Bills of Credit. — Arrest of John Lamb and Imprisonment of 
 McDougall 82-86 
 
 CHAPTER m. 
 
 Attacks upon the Liberty Pole. — Riotous Proceedings of the Soldiers. 
 
 — Excitement of the Citizens. — Public Meeting. — Sons of Lib- 
 erty. — Battle of Golden Hill. — Governor Colden^s Despatches. — 
 Hampden Hall. — Successful defence of the Liberty Pole. — Viola- 
 tion of Non-Importation Agreement. — Proceedings of the Sons of 
 Liberty. — Lord Dunmore. — Proceedings against McDougall . 86-91 
 
 CHAPTER IV. — Admin iSTEATiONS of Goyeknoeb Teton juid 
 Colden. ^ 
 
 Shipments of Tea — Spirited Proceedings of the Sons of Liberty. 
 
 New York " Tea Party." — Vigilance Committee. — Public Meeting 
 
CONTENTS. ix. 
 
 of Citizens. — Non-Importation Leagae. — Second Colonial Congress. 
 
 — Proceedings of tlie Assembly. — First and Second Provincial 
 
 Congress. — First Continental Congress Arrival of the Asia — 
 
 Disturbances in ilie City. — Sons of Liberty. — Provisional Gov- 
 ernment. — Patriotic Demonstrations. — Capture of Ammunition at 
 Turtle Bay — General Wooster encamps at Harlem. — Embarkation 
 
 of Boyal Troops. — Eeoapture of Arms by the Citizens . . .91-97 
 
 CHAPTER v. — EVBNTS op 1775. 
 
 Capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. — Organization of New York 
 Regiments. — Removal of the Guns on the Battery. — Cannonade of 
 the City by the Asia — Demand for Satisfaction. — Abdication of 
 Governor Tryon. — Demolition of Rivington's Press. — Invasion of 
 Canada. — Siege and Capture of St. John's. — Disastrous Expedition 
 of Allen. — Siege of Quebec. — Death of Montgomery and Defeat of 
 Moi^gan and Arnold. — Retreat of American Troops . . 97 - 102 
 
 CHAPTER VI. — Everts of 1776. 
 
 Investment of New York by Howe and Clinton. — Preparations for De- 
 fence. — Declaration of Independence. — Proceedings of Provincial 
 Congress at White Plains. — Battle of Long Island. — Retreat of 
 Washington to New York and Harlem Heights. — Arrest and Exe- 
 cution of Nathan Hale as a Spy. — Landing of Howe at Kip's Bay. — 
 Evacuation of the City. — Skirmish at Harlem. — Retreat to White 
 Plains. — Battle of White Plains. — Captures of Forts Washington 
 and Lee. — Retreat through New Jersey. — Naval Combat on Lake 
 Champlam 103-110 
 
 CHAPTER VII. — Admiwistkation op Gotebnob Geokoe Clin- 
 ton. — Events op 1777. — First State Constitution. 
 
 Occupation of the City of New York by the British. — The Neutral 
 Ground. — Cow-Boys and Skinners. — The Provincial Congress. — 
 Committee of Safety. — Destruction of Military Stores at Peekskill. 
 
 — Attack on Sag Harbor. — Constitutional Convention. — Election of 
 Governor and Staff Officers. — Congressional Delegates. — Barbarous 
 Treatment of Prisoners. — The Sugar-House. — Provost Jail and 
 Jersey Prison-Ships. — Attack on Ticonderoga. — Retreat of Schuy- 
 ler and St. Clair. — Murder of Jane McCrea. — Kosciusko. — At- 
 tack upon Fort Schuyler. — Battle of Oriskany. — Indian Ambus- 
 cade 110 116 
 
 CHAPTER Vm. — Events op 1777.— Bcbgotne's Campaign. 
 
 First and Second Battles of Stillwater. — Battle at Bemis's Heights. 
 
 — Dissension between Gates and Arnold. — Retreat of Burgoyne to 
 Saratoga. — His Surrender. — Its Effects. — Capture of Forts Clinton, 
 Montgomery, and Constitution by the British. — Burning of Kings- 
 ton 116-121 
 
 CHAPTER IX. — Events of 1778 and 1779. 
 Indian and T6ry Atrocities. — Destruction of CobleskUl. — Massacre at 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 Cherry Valley. — Capture and Beoaptnre of Stony Point and Ver- 
 planck's Point. — Surprise of British at Panlus Hool^ — Attack upon 
 Mioisink by Brant. — Sullivan and Clinton's Expedition against the 
 Indians. — Destruction of their Villages and Crops . . . 122 - 128 
 
 CHAPTER X.— Events of 1780, 1781. — Tbbasok of Bbhedict 
 
 Abnols. 
 
 His Occupation of West Point. — Correspondence with Andr^. — Ar- 
 rangements for an Interview. — Arrival of Washington smd Lafayette. 
 — Interview between Arnold and Andr^. — Retreat and Capture of 
 Andr^ at Tarrytown. — Washington's Discovery of the Treason. — 
 Flight of Arnold. — Conduct of Andr^. — His Trial, Conviction, and 
 Sentence. — Efforts for the Capture of Arnold. — His Subsequent 
 Career. — Execution of Major Andr^. — General Sympathy for his 
 
 Fate. — Close of the War. — General Rejoicings Treaty of Peace. 
 
 — Disbandment of the Army. — Evacuation of New York. — Parting 
 of Washington with his Officers. — His Resignation and Retirement 
 toMountVemon 12S-13S 
 
 SIXTH PEEIOD. 
 
 THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 
 
 CHAPTER I.— Administsation op Governoe Geoboe Cukton. 
 
 Position of Affairs at the Close of the War. — Articles of Confederation. 
 
 — Propositions for their Modification State Jealousies. — Position 
 
 of New York. — Proceedings of the Legislature. — Congress. — Na- 
 tional Convention at Philadelphia. — Delegates from New York. — 
 Their Instructions. — State of Parties in the Convention. — Forma- 
 tion of the Constitution. — Its Submission to the States. — Organize^ 
 tion of Parties. — "The Federalist" — Views and Arguments of the 
 Respective Parties. — State Convention at Poughkeepsie.— Ratifica- 
 tion of the Constitution. — Choice of Presidential Electors and Repre- 
 sentatives in Congress 137 - 144 
 
 CHAPTER II. — Administeation of GtOVErnoe Geoege Clinton. 
 
 First Meeting of Congress at New York. — Organization of the National 
 Government. — Arrival of the President and Vice-President. — Tri- 
 umphal Progress of Washington. — The Inauguration. — Re-election 
 of Governor Clinton. — Hamilton's Plan for the Assumption of the 
 Public Debt. — Appointment of United States Senators. — Removal 
 of the Capital to Philadelphia. — Meeting of the Legislature. — Popu- 
 lation of the State. — Internal Improvements. — Public Lands. — 
 Western and Northern Inland Lock Navigation Companies. — Presi- 
 dential Electors. — Third Election of Governor Clinton. — Citizen 
 Genet 144- IBO 
 
 CHAPTER in. — ASHINISTBATIONS OF GOVEBNOEB GeOBGE 
 
 Clinton and John Jay. 
 
 Meeting of the Legislature. — Governor's- Message. — Foundation of the 
 Common-School System. — United States Senators. — John Jay 
 
CONTENTS. xi 
 
 elected GoTemor. — BUI for the Abolition of Slavery. — Presidential 
 Electors. — Congressional Elections. — Comptroller. — Location of the 
 Capital at Albany. — Election of Adams and Jefferson as President 
 
 and Vice-President. — State Elections Re-election of Governor Jay 
 
 and Lieutenant-Governor Stephen Van Rensselaer. — State of Par- 
 ties. — Legislative Proceedings. — Apprehension of War with France. 
 — Internal Improvements. — Origin of the Canal System. — General 
 Washington's Exploration and Views. — Christopher Colles. — Legis- 
 lative Encouragement. — Philip Schuyler and Elkanah Watson. — 
 Manhattan Bank Charter. — Alien and Sedition Laws. — Death of 
 Washington. — Funeral Honors. — Legislature of 1800. — State Elec- 
 tions. — Triumph of the Democratic Party. — Presidential Electors. 
 — United States Senators. — Nominations of National and State Can- 
 didates 160-168 
 
 CHAPTER IV. — AsKiKisTBATiON OP GovERNOE Geokge Clinton. 
 
 Organization of the Common-School System. — Contest between Jeffer- 
 son and Burr for the Presidency. — Ee-eleotion of Governor George 
 Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor Jeremiah Van Rensselaer. — State 
 
 CqnsJitutionaLConyention. -(^Appointment of Chancellor Lansing 
 
 Meeting of the Legislature. — Attorney-General. — United States 
 Senators. — De Witt Clinton and Aaron Burr. — Duel between Clin- 
 ton and Swartwout. — Parties in the Legislaturs. — Appointments 
 and Removals. — Proceedings of the Legislature. — Election of Gov- 
 ernor Lewis and Lieutenant-Governor Broome. — Duel between Ham- 
 ilton and Burr. — Death of Hamilton. — His Character and Ser- 
 vices. — Funeral Obsequies. — Governor Clinton elected Vice-Presi- 
 dent 168-163 
 
 CHAPTER V. — Administrations op Governors Morgaji Lewis 
 AND Daniel D. Tompkins. 
 
 Meeting of the Legislature. — . Special Message of the Governor relative to 
 Common-School Education. — Common-School Fund. — Free-School 
 Society in New York. — Stephen Arnold. — Coalition of Federalists 
 and Republicans. — Election of Governor Tompkins. — Trial and Ac- 
 quittal of Burr for Treason. — First Steamboat on the Hudson. — 
 History of the Enterprise. — Livingston and Fulton. — British Orders 
 in Council. — Berlin and Milan Decrees. — The Embargo. — State 
 of Parties. — Proposed Erie Canal. — Survey of the Route. — Ap- 
 pointment of Commissioners. — Departure of Burr for Europe 
 
 Election of President Madison and Vice-President Clinton. — Pro- 
 ceedings of the Legislature. — Spring Elections. — Re-election of 
 Governor Tompkins and Lieutenant-Governor Broome. — Prepara- 
 tions for War with England 163 - 168 
 
 CHAPTER VI. — Administration op Governor Tompkins. — Sec- 
 ond War with Great Britain. 
 
 Condition of National Affairs. — Nomination of De Witt Clinton for the 
 Presidency. — Proceedings of the Legislature. — Appointment of 
 Commissioners for the Establishment of Common Schools. — Bill 
 for the Constmction of the Erie Canal Application to Congress 
 
xii CONTENTS. 
 
 and State Legislatures. — Death of Lieutenant-GoTernor Broome and 
 Election of Nicholas Fish. — Organization of the Common-School 
 System. — Bank of America. — Prorogation of the Legislatnre. — 
 Death of Vice-President George Clinton. — Return of Colonel 
 Burr. — Death of Theodosia Burr Alston. — Subsequent Career and 
 Death of Burr. — West Point Military Academy. — Trial and Acquit- 
 tal of David Thomas and Solomon Southwick for Bribery. — Progress 
 of the War. — Campaign of 1812. — Surrender of Detroit by Hull.— 
 Naval Victories. — Fleeta on Lakes Erie and Ontario. — Attack 
 on Sackett's Harbor and Ogdensburg. — Battle of Queenstown 
 Heights. — Capture of British Troops at St. Regis. — Presidential 
 Electors in favor of Mr. Clinton chosen. — Re-election of President 
 Madison 169-178 
 
 CHAPTER VII. — Adhinistkatiok of Goveehob Tomfkinb. — 
 Second Was with Gbbat Bbitain. 
 
 Election of United States Senator. — Superintendent of Common Schools. 
 
 — Death of Chancellor Livingston. — Re-election of Governor Tomp- 
 kins. — Progress of the War. — Campaign of 1813. — Naval Victo- 
 ries and Defeats. — Death of Captaih Lawrence. — Rescue of Amer- 
 ican Prisoners in Canada. — Capture of Ogdensburg. — Capture 
 of York and Death of Zebulon Montgomery Pike. — Capture of Fort 
 George. — Attempted Capture of Sackett's Harbor. — Attack upon 
 Black Rock. — Capture of the Argus by the Pelican The Boxer. 
 
 — The Enterprise. — Perry's Victory on Lake Erie. — Battle of 
 the Thames. — Recovery of Michigan Territory. — Abortive Ex- 
 peditions against Canada. — Action at Chateangay. — Battle of 
 Chiystler's Farm. — Evacuation of Fort George. — Burning of Newark 
 and Queenstown. — Retaliatory Descent upon Fort Niagara, Lewiston, 
 Youngstown, and other Places. — Destruction of Buffalo and Black 
 Rock 178-186 
 
 CHAPTER Vm. — AsMiNisTRATioir op Govekkob Tompkins. — 
 Second Wab with Gkeat Bbitain. 
 
 Legislative Proceedings. — Appointments and Removals. — Appropria- 
 tions to Colleges. — Revision of Common-School Law. — State Elec- 
 tions. — Progress of the War. — Campaign of 1814. — Movements 
 of General Wilkinson and General Brown. — Attack upon Rouse's 
 Point. — Removal of Wilkinson — General Izard. — Repulse of the 
 British at Oswego. — Transportation of Military Stores to Sackett's 
 Harbor. — Action at Sandy Creek. — Capture of Fort Erie- — Bat- 
 tles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane 186 - 192 
 
 CHAPTER IX — Administkation op Governob Tompkins. — ^Sec- 
 ond War with Gbeat Britain. — Campaign op 1814. 
 
 Siege of Fort Erie — Defeat of the British. — Capture and Burning of 
 Washington. — Preparations for Defence of the City of New York. — 
 Patriotic Conduct of Governor Tompkins. — Invasion of New York. 
 
 — Attack upon Plattsburg. — McDonough's Victory on Lake Cham- 
 plain. — Special Meeting of the Legislature. — Spirited Proceedings 
 for the Public Defence. — Their Reception at Washington. — Gov- 
 ernor Tompkins declines the State Department .... 192 - 109 
 
CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 CHAPTER X. — Admihibtratiows op Govbenors Tompkius abd 
 Db Witt Clinton. — Close of the Wae. 
 
 Treaty of Peace with Great Britain. — Battle of New Orleans. — United 
 States Senator. — Attorney-General. — Erie and Champlain Canals. 
 — Great Meetings in New York and Albany. — Energetic Efforts of 
 De Witt Clinton. — Canal Commissioners. — Survey of Bonte. — 
 Election of President Monroe and Vice-President Tompkins. — Abo- 
 lition of Slavery. — Besignation of Governor Tompkins. — Election of 
 Governor De Witt Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor Tayler. — Act 
 for the Construction of the Canal. — Commencement of the Work. — 
 
 New Organization of Parties. — Common Schools The Lancasterian 
 
 System of Instmction. — Domestic Manufactures. — Spring Elections. 
 — Clintonian Triumph. — Meeting of the Legislature. — Governor Clin- 
 ton's Message. — Accounts of Vice-President Tompkins. — Contro- 
 versy with the Comptroller. — First Boat on the Erie Canal. — United 
 States Senator. — Exciting Political Campaign. — Re-election of Gov- 
 ernor Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor Tayler. — Canal Policy . 199 - 206 
 
 CHAPTER XL — AsMiNiBTBATiOR or Governor De Witt Clinton. 
 
 Legislature of 1821. — Special Message of the Governor. — Act for Con- 
 stitutional Convention. — United States Senator. — Canal Commis- 
 sioner. — Removal of Gideon Hawley as Superintendent of Common 
 Schools. — Appointment of his Successor. — Abolition of the Office, 
 and its Annexation to the State Department. — Meeting, Organiza- 
 tion, and Proceedings of the State Constitutional Convention. — 
 Outlines of the New Constitution. — Its Adoption by the People . 207-210 
 
 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE CONSTITUTION OF 1821 TO THE CONSTITUTION OF 1846. 
 
 CHAPTER 1 Administrations of Goteenors Joseph C. Tates 
 
 AND Db WiM Clinton. 
 
 Abolition of Lotteries. — Literature Lottery. — Election of Governor 
 Tates and Lieutenant-Governor Erastus Boot. — Democratic Ma- 
 jority in the Legislature. — Appointment of Chancellor, Judges of 
 Supreme Court, and Circuit Judges. — Election of State Officers. — 
 Fall Elections. — The "People's Party." — Legislative Proceedings. 
 
 — The Electoral Law. — Removal of Governor Clinton as Canal 
 Commissioner. — Public Indignation.- Extra Session of the Legisla- 
 ture. — Election of Governor Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor 
 Tallmadge.— Triumph of the "People's Party." — Candidates for 
 the Presidency. — State of Parties. — Visit of General Lafayette, 
 and his Public Reception in New York. — Election of President 
 John Qnincy Adams and Vice-President Calhoun. — State Road 
 through Sonthern Tier of Counties. — Minister to England. — Tour 
 of Governor Clinton through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky. — 
 Completion of the Erie and Champlain Canal. — Grand Celebration, 
 
 — Imposing Ceremonies at New York. — Dluminations, Processions, 
 
 and Fireworks 211-218 
 
xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER II. — Third Administsatiok op Goternob De Witt 
 
 Clinton. 
 
 Common Schools. — Education of Teachers. — State Road. — United 
 States Senator. — Chancellor, Secretary of State, and Superintendent 
 of Common Schools. — Beport of John C. Spencer on the Common- 
 School System. — Abduction of William Morgan. — Re-election of 
 Governor Clinton. — Lieutenant-Governor Pitcher. — Proceedings of 
 the Legislature. — The Canals and State Road. — Chenango CanaL 
 
 — Literature Fund. — Revision of the Laws. — Death of Thomas 
 Addis Emmett. — Anti-Masonic Excitement. — Public Meetings. — . 
 Arrests, Trials, and Convictions. — Public Indignation against Ma- 
 sons. — Political Organization 218 - 223 
 
 CHAPTER III. — Adminibtrations of Lieutenant-Gotbrnor 
 Pitcher, Governor Van Buren, and Liedtenant-Governob 
 Thboop. 
 
 Legislature of 1828. — Last Message of Governor Clinton. — His Death 
 and Character. — Proceedings of Public Bodies. — Succession of 
 Lieutenant-Governor Pitcher. — Public Prosecutor of the Morgan 
 
 Outrage. — Defeat of the Chenango and Chemung Canal Bills 
 
 Presidential Campaign. — Election of Governor Van Buren and 
 Lieutenant-Governor Throop. — Election of President Jackson and 
 Vice-President Calhoun. — Progress of the Anti-Masonic Excite- 
 ment — Legislature of 1S29. — Governor's Message. — Internal Im- 
 provements. — Safety-Fund Law and Renewal of Bank Charters. — 
 State Officers. — Choice of Presidential Electors by General Ticket. 
 
 — Governor Van Buren appointed United States Secretary of State. — 
 His Resignation as Governor, and Succession of Lieutenant-Governor 
 Throop. — Passage of the Chemung Canal Bill. — Chenango Canal. 
 
 — Death of Ex-Governor John Jay 223-227 
 
 CHAPTER IV. — Administration of Governor Enos E. Throop. 
 
 Legislature of 1830. — Governor's Message. — Beport of Canal Commis- 
 sioners on the Chenango Canal. — Defeat of the Bill. — Election of 
 Governor Enos T. Throop and Lieutenant-Governor E. P. Livingston. 
 
 — Proceedings of the Public Prosecutor. — Legislature of 1831. — 
 Election of William L. Marcy «s United States Senator, and Samuel 
 Nelson Judge of Supreme Court. — Appointment of Governor Van 
 Buren as Minister to England. — Death of Ex-President Monroe. — 
 Legislature of 1832. — Election of Governor Marcy and Lieutenant- 
 Governor Tracy. — Termination of Political Anti-Masonry. — Its Re- 
 sults. — Revival of Masonry 228-232 
 
 CHAPTER V. — Administration of Governor William L. Marct. 
 
 Internal Improvements. — Common Schools. — Election of Silas Wright, 
 .It., and Nathaniel P. Tallmadge as United States Senators. — State 
 Officers. — Passage of the Chenango Canal Bill. — Re-election of 
 Governor Marcy and Lieutenant-Governor Tracy. — Proposed En- ^ 
 largement of the Erie Canal. — Loan of State Credit to Banks. — 
 Commercial Revulsion. — Increase of Bank Charters. — General 
 
CONTENTS. XY 
 
 Spirit of Speculation. — Academical Departments for Preparation 
 of Teachers. — Common-School Libraries. — Death of Surveyor- 
 General De Witt. — Construction of the Groton Aqueduct and High 
 Bridge. — Great Fire in New York. — Black River and Genesee 
 Valley Canals. — New York and Erie Railroad Loan. — Proceedings 
 against Senators Kemble and Bishop. — Third Election of Governor 
 Marcy and Lieutenant-Governor Tracy. — Election of President Van 
 Bnren and Vice-President B. M. Johnson. — United States Deposit 
 Fund. — Its Investment. — General Suspension of State Banks. — 
 Proceedings of the Legislature. — Death of Ex-Governor Yates and 
 Abraham Van Vechten. — Canadian Insurrection. — Occupation of 
 Navy Island. — Burning of the Caroline. — Proclamation of Neutral- 
 ity. — General Scott despatched to the Frontier. — Diplomatic Nego- 
 tiations between the English and American Governments. — Legis- 
 lature of 1838. — Mr. Buggles's Report on Internal Improvements. — 
 Passage of General Banking Law. — November Elections. — Tri- 
 umph of the Whigs. — Election of Governor Seward and Lieutenant- 
 Governor Bradish 233-241 
 
 CHAPTEE VL — Administbation op Goteenoe William H. 
 Sewaed. 
 
 Legislature of 1839. — Governor's Message. — Repeal of Act prohibiting 
 Small Bills. — State Officers. — Death of Stephen Van Rensselaer. 
 
 — Visit and Reception of President Van Buren. — Legislature of 
 1840. — Governor's Message. — Canal Enlargement. — Common 
 Schools. — Instruction of Children of Foreigners. — Controversy Avith 
 Virginia. — Abolition of Imprisonment for Debt. — Political Cam- 
 paign. — Election of President Harrison and Vice-President Tyler. 
 
 — Death of the President. — Succession of Vice-President. — Re- 
 election of Governor Seward and Lieutenant-Governor Bradish. — 
 Legislature of 1841. — Governor's Message. — Revenues of the Canals. 
 
 — State Indebtedness. — Education of the Children of Foreigners. — 
 Teachers' Departments in Academies. — State Normal School. — Vir- 
 ginia Correspondence. — Report of Secretary Spencer on the Public- 
 School System of the City of New York. — Revision of the Common- 
 School Law. — County Superintendents 242-248 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. — Administration op GtOteenoe William H. 
 Seward. 
 
 Arrest of Alexander McLeod for the Burning of the Caroline. — Demand 
 of the British Government for his Release. — Reply of Secretary 
 Webster. — Decision of the Supreme Court — Trial and Acquittal 
 of McLeod. — Legislature of 1842. — Governor's Message. — The Vir- 
 ginia Controversy. — Appropriation of School Money in New York. 
 
 — Colleges, Academies, and Common Schools. — Revenue of the Ca- 
 nals. — State Debt. — Internal Improvements. — Financial Condition 
 of the State. — Suspension of Public Works. — State Tax. — The Vir- 
 ginia Controversy. — Joint Resolution of the Legislature. — Refusal of 
 tlie Governor to transmit the Resolution. — Election of Governor Bouck 
 
 and Lieutenant-Governor Dickinson. — Democratic Triumph . 248-263 
 1 
 
xvi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VUL — ADHiiriSTRATioir of Goyebnob William C. 
 
 BOCCK. 
 
 Legislatnre of 1843. — Governor's Message. — Re-election of Silas 
 Wright as United States Senator. — Geological Surrey of the State. 
 — Comninnication of Secretary Young. — Controversy between 
 Lieutenant - Governor Dickinson and the Secretary. — Mr. Hul- 
 burd's Report on Common Schools. — Death of Smith Thompson 
 and Appointment of Chief-Justice Nelson to the Bench of the 
 United States Supreme Court — Legislature of 1844. — Governor's 
 
 Message. — Public Debt Canal Revenues. — Common Schools. — 
 
 State Normal School. — Executive Committee. — Enlargement of 
 the Erie Canal. — Proposed Constitutional Amendment — Anti-Rent 
 Disturbances. — Anti-Rent and Native-American Parties. — Elec- 
 tion of President Polk and Vice-President Dallas. — Appointment 
 of United States Senators. — Election of Governor Silas Wright and 
 Lieutenant-Governor Addison Gardiner 263-268 
 
 CHAPTER IX. — Administration of Govbbnor Silas Weight. 
 
 Legislature of 1845. — Governor's Message. — Prosecution of the Public 
 Works. — Common Schools. — School Funds. — Anti-Rent Outrages. 
 — State Officers. — Election of John A. Dix and Daniel S. Dick- 
 inson United States Senators. — Rejection of Constitutional Amend- 
 ments. — State Constitutional Convention. — Act in Relation to the 
 Canals. — Governor's Veto. — Continued Anti-Rent Outrages. — Im- 
 prisonment of Dr. Boughton Murder of Deputy-Sheriff Steel. — 
 
 Insurrection in Delaware County. — Martial Law proclaimed Trial 
 
 and Conviction of Anti-Rent Rioters. — Suppression of the Insurrec- 
 tion. — November Elections. — State Constitutional Convention ap- 
 proved. — Railroads. — Magnetic Telegraph. — Professor Morse and 
 Henry O'Reilly 268-263 
 
 CHAPTER X. — Administration of Governor Silas Wright. 
 
 Legislature of 1846. — Governor's Message. — Anti-Rent Excitement. 
 
 — State Debt — Canal Revenues. — Report of Superintendent of 
 Common Schools. — District Librarian. — Distress for Rent abol- 
 ished. — Constitutional Convention. — Organization of the Execu- 
 tive, Legislative, and Judicial Departments of the State.— Quali- 
 fication of Voters. — Provision for Payment of Canal Debts, and 
 Prosecution of the Public Works — Loans of State Credit prohibited. 
 
 — Limitation of Power to contract Debts. — Banking Associations 
 and Registry of Notes. — Corporations to be formed under General 
 Laws. — Common- School, Literature, and United States Deposit 
 Funds. — Failure of Efforts to establish Free Schools throughout the 
 State. — Incorporation of Cities and Villages. — Adoption of the Con- 
 stitution. — Election of Governor Young and Lieutenant-Governor 
 Gardiner. — Death of General Root 263-26 
 
CONTENTS. xvii 
 
 EIGHTH PEEIOD, 
 
 FROM 1846 TO 1870. 
 
 CBL&PTER I. — Administbation or Gotbbnoe Jobm Toung. 
 
 The Mexican War — Successful Campaigns of Generals Taylor and 
 Scott — Brilliant Services of Generals Wool, Worth, and Kearney. 
 
 — Conquest of Mexico. — Negotiations for Peace. — Tlie Wilmot 
 Proviso. — Proceedings of the Legislature. — Pardon of the Anti- 
 Rent Convicts. — Grounds of Executive Clemency. — New Yorlt 
 Free Academy. — Indian and Colored Schools. — Resumption of the 
 Public Works. — Termination of the Mexican War. — Cession of 
 California. — Beath of Silas Wright. — His Character. — Public 
 Honors to his Memory. — State Officers. — AboUtion of the Office of 
 County Superintendent of Common Schools. — Its Effects. — Legis- 
 lature of 1848. — Governor's Message. — Manorial Titles. — Common 
 Schools. — Appropriations for Resumption of the Public Works. — 
 Corporate Associations. — Free Schools. — State Normal School. — 
 Death of Principal Page. — Election of President Taylor and Vice- 
 President Fillmore. — Election of Governor Fish and Lieutenant- 
 Governor Patterson 270-276 
 
 CHAPTEB II. — Administration of Goteknok Hamilton Fish. — 
 Fkee-Schooi, Conteoteest. 
 
 Legislatme of 1849. — Governor's Message. — Act for Establishment of 
 Free Schools throughout the State. — Teachers' Departments in 
 Academies. — Ex-Govemor Seward appointed United States Sena- 
 tor. — State Elections. — Approval of Free-School Bill. — Obstacles 
 to its Execution. — Canses of its Unpopularity. — Demand for Re- 
 peal. — EfiTorts of its Friends. — Legislature of 1860. — Governor's 
 Message. — State Asylum for Idiots. — Railroad Restrictions. — 
 Slavery in the Territories. — Bill for Repeal of Free-School Law. 
 
 — Death of President Taylor. — Accession of Vice-President FUl- 
 more. — Admission of California. — Mr. Clay's Compromise Bill. — 
 Free-School Canvass. — Majority against Repeal. — Election of Gov- 
 ernor Hunt and Lieutenant-Governor Church .... 276 - 280 
 
 CHAPTER in. — Administration op Goveenob Washington 
 Hunt. 
 
 Legislature of 1861. — Governor's Message. — Free Schools. — Erie Canal 
 Enlargement. — Proposed Amendment to Constitution. — Agricultu- 
 ral College. — Propositions for Modifications of the Free-School Law. 
 
 — Passage of the Act. — Election of Ex-Govemor Fish as United 
 States Senator. — Commission for Revision of School Laws. — State 
 Officers. — Visit of Kossuth. — Legislature of 1852. — Governor's 
 Message. — State Debt. — Canal Revenues. — Taxable Property. — 
 Free-School Controversy. — Election of Governor Seymour and' 
 Lientenant-Govemor Church. — President Pierce and Vice-Presi- 
 dent King 280-283 
 
xviii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. — FiBBT Ashinistbation op Goteenoe Hoeatio 
 Seymoub. 
 
 Legislature of 1853. — Governor's Message. — Canal Enlargement. — State 
 Agricultural and Scientific CoUege. — Manorial Titles. — Railroad 
 Companies. — Financial Embarrassments. — Special Session of the 
 Legislature. — Proposed Amendment to the Constitution. — Public 
 Schools of the City of New York. — Consolidation of the System. 
 
 — State Officers. — Legislature of 18B4. — Governor's Message. — 
 Beview of the History and Condition of the State. — Prosecution of 
 the PubUc Works. — Reorganization of the Militia. — Criminal Code. 
 
 — Department of Public Instruction, -r- Constitutional Amendment. 
 
 — Appointment of Superintendent of PubUc Instruction. — Free and 
 Union Schools. — Teachers' Departments. — Teachers' Institutes. — 
 State Normal School. — Election of Governor Clark and Lieutenant- 
 Governor Raymond 283-287 
 
 CHAPTER v. — Aduinistbationb op Goveenobb Mteon H. 
 Clare add John A. King. 
 
 Legislature of J85B — Free Schools. — County Supervision. — Excise 
 Laws. — Prohibitory Restriction of the Sale of Liquor. — Controversy 
 with Virginia. — The Lemmon Case. — Destruction of Property by 
 Mobs. — State Elections. -^ Triumph of the Native- American Party. 
 — Legislature of 1856. — Railroads. — Free Schools and Academies. 
 
 — State Tax for Support of Schools. — District Commissioners. — 
 Election of Governor King and Lieutenant-Governor Selden. — 
 President Buchanan and Vice-President Breckenridge. — Legisla- 
 ture of 1857. — Governor King's Message. — Canals. — Modification 
 of the Excise Law. — Colored Voters. — Slavery in the Territories. 
 
 — Election of Pieston King as United States Senator. — License 
 Law. — Tax for Completion of Public Works. — Death and Charac- 
 ter of Ex-Govemor Marcy. — State Officers. — Legislature of 1858. 
 
 — Election of Governor Morgan and Lieutenant-Governor Camp- 
 bell 287-290 
 
 CHAPTER VI. — Adminibtbatton op Gotebnoe Edwih D. 
 MoBGAN. — The Southeen Rebellion. 
 Legislature of 1859. — Excise Laws. — Colored Suflrage.— National Af- 
 fairs.— John Brown's Invasion of Virginia. — State Officers. — Re- 
 jection of Colored-Suffrage Amendment. — Legislature of 1860. — 
 Capital Punishment. — Bights of Married Women. — Visit of the 
 Prince of Wales. — Election of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal 
 Hamlin as President and Vice-President — Re-election of Gov- 
 ernor Morgan and Lieutenant-Governor Campbell. — The Kansas 
 and Nebraska Struggle. — Freedom in the Territories. — Efforts at 
 Compromise between the North and South. — Their Failure. — Se- 
 cession of the Southern States. — Formation of a Southern Pro- 
 visional Government. — Legislature of 1861. — Temperate and Con- 
 ciliatory Message of the Governor. — Joint Resolution. — Patriotic 
 Attitude of the Legislature. — Renewed Efforts for Conciliation. — 
 Meeting of Merchants and Others. — Proposition of Virginia for 
 a Peace Congress at Washington. — Appointment of Delegates 
 
CONTENTS. xii 
 
 from New York. — FaUnre of the Effort. — Election of Ira Harris 
 as United States Senator. — Bombardment and Fall of Fort Sum- 
 ter- — Proclamation of President Lincoln. — Response of New York. 
 
 — Appointment of Major-Generals Dix and Wadsworth. — March 
 of the Seventh Regiment. — General Enthusiasm. — Great Public 
 Meeting in New York. — Party Distinctions merged. — Battle of 
 Bull Run. — Defeat of the Union Army. — Additional Troops 
 forwarded to Washington. — One Hundred Regiments sent to the 
 Field 291-298 
 
 CHAPTER Vll. — Administbation op Goveenob Edwin D. 
 MoBGAN. — Second Administbation of Govbbnoe Hobatio 
 Setmoue. — The Southern Rebellion. 
 Legislature of 1862. — Governor's Message. — Prosecution of the War. — 
 Continued Support of the Government. — Completion of the Erie 
 Canal Enlargement. — Election of Governor Seymour and Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor Jones. — Legislature of 1863. — Governor Seymour's 
 Message — Election of Governor Morgan as United States Senator. 
 
 — Condition of Public Affairs. — National Reverses. — Factious Op- 
 position to the War. — Governor Seymour's Fourth-of-Jnly Oration 
 at New York. — The Draft Riots. — Interposition of the Governor. 
 
 — Property and Lives destroyed. — United States Troops ordered 
 to New York. — The Riots suppressed and the Drafts resumed and 
 enforced. — Enlistments and Volunteers. — Legislature of 1864. — 
 Govemdr's Message. — National Affairs. — Revenue of the Canals. 
 
 — State Tax. — Payment of Foreign Creditors in Gold. — Contin- 
 ued Enlistments of Troops. — Presidential Election General Butler 
 
 in Command of the City of New York. — Re-election of Presidbnt 
 
 Lincoln and Election of Andrew Johnson Vice-President Election 
 
 of Governor Fenton and Lieutenant-Govei-nor Alvord. — Conspiracy 
 to bum the City of New York. — Execution of Robert Kennedy. — 
 Grant's Campaign of 1864. — Brilliant Succession of Victories. — 
 Defeat of the Confederate Army at Petersburg. — Capture of Rich- 
 mond. — Surrender of General Lee's Army at Appomattox Court 
 House. — Surrender of Johnston — Termmation of the War As- 
 sassination of President Lincoln — Funeral Honors — Succession of 
 Vice-President Johnson 298-306 
 
 CHAPTER VHI. — Administbation of Govbenob Reuben E. 
 Fenton. 
 
 Legislature of 1866. — Governor's Message. — Visit of President Johnson 
 and Cabinet, General Grant, and Admiral Farragut to the State. 
 
 — Re-election of Governor Fenton and Election of Lieutenant-Gov- 
 ernor Stewart L. Woodford. — Legislature of 1867. — Governor's 
 Message. — Enlarged Locks on the Erie and Oswego Canals. — 
 Adoption of Fourteenth Constitutional Amendment prohibiting 
 Slavery. — Election of Roscoe Conklin as United States Senator. 
 
 — Establishment of Free Schools throughout the State. — Ad- 
 ditional Norm.al Schools. — State Constitutional Convention. — Re- 
 organization of the Judiciary. — Renewal of Anti-Rent Disturbr 
 ances. — Legislature of 1868. — Governor's Message. — State Debt 
 
XX CONTENTS. 
 
 — Constitntional Convention. — Its Proceedings. — Organization of 
 the Cornell University at Ithaca. — Kleotion of Governor Hoffman 
 and Lientenant-Govemor Beach. — Election of President Ulysses S. 
 Grant and Vice-President Schuyler Colfax 306-810 
 
 CHAPTER IX. — Admihibthati6n of Govebmob John T. 
 Hoffman. 
 
 Legislature of 1869. — Governor's Message. — Finances of the State. — 
 Common Schools. — Election of Ex-Govemor Fenton as United 
 States Senator. — Adoption of the Fifteenth Constitutional Amend- 
 ment securing Colored Suffrage. — Submission of the new Consti- 
 tution to the People. — Its Rejection, with the Exception of the 
 Judiciary Article. — Democratic Triumph at the Fall Elections. — 
 Legislature of 1870. — Governor's Message. — Revocation by the 
 Legislature of its Consent to the Fifteenth Constitutional Amend- 
 ment 810-814 
 
 CONCLUSION. — GENERAL RECAPITULATION. 
 
 General Survey of the History of the State. — Its Prominent Statesmen. 
 
 — Governors. — Judges. — Chancellors. — Lawyers. — Legislators. — 
 Senators and Representatives in Congress. — Cabinet Officers. — 
 Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Judges of the Supreme Court of the 
 United States, and Foreign Ministers. — Its Representatives in the 
 Army and Navy. — Scientific and Literary Men. — Discoverers and 
 Inventors. — Representatives of the Press. — Distinguished Clergy- 
 men. — Historians. — Poets. — Philanthropists. — Educators. — Phy- 
 sicians. — Railroads, Canals, and Internal Improvements. — Valua^ 
 tion of Real and Personal Estate. — Exports and Imports. — Public 
 Schools. — Colleges, Academies, and other Seminaries of Learning. 
 
 — Normal Schools. — Charitable and Benevolent Institutions. — 
 Churches, Cathedrals, and Places of Public Worship. — The City 
 
 of New York 816-825 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 CoHsrmmoK of the State of New York 827 
 
 Counties and Population of the State 358 
 
 Table op Dutch, Enolish, and State Governors of the State . 862 
 
 Table of Lieutenant-Governors of the State .... 364 
 
 Table op Speaeebs op the State Assembly 366 
 
 List of Railroads in the State, with their Extent and Cost 868 
 
 List op Canals of the Stats, with their Extent and Cost . 869 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 1. The State op New York, one of the Thirteen original 
 States of the American Union, is bounded on the noriih by Can- 
 ada, from which it is separated by Lake Ontario and the St. 
 Lawrence Kiver ; east by Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connec- 
 ticut, from the former of which it is separated by Lake Cham- 
 plain ; south by New Jersey and Pennsylvania ; and west by 
 New Jersey, a part of Pennsylvania and Lake Erie, — that 
 lake and the Niagara River separating it from Canada on the 
 western side. 
 
 2. From the northern to the southern extremity of the State, 
 its length is 311 miles between the fortieth and forty-fifth 
 degrees of north latitude, and from east to west, between the 
 seventy-first and seventy-ninth degrees of longitude, it extends 
 412 mUes, — comprising an area of 50,519 square miles, or 
 32,332,160 acres, of which somewhat more than one half is 
 under cultivation for agricultural purposes. 
 
 3. Its present population is about four millions, of whom 
 one fourth are of foreign birth, chiefly from Ireland, Germany, 
 and England. It is divided into sixty counties and about nine 
 hundred and fifty towns and citiea Its principal cities, in the 
 order of their population respectively, are New York, Brooklyn, 
 Buffalo, Albany, Rochester, Troy, Syracuse, Utica, Oswego, 
 
 ^ Poughkeepaie, Auburn, Schenectady, Hudson, and Binghamton. 
 The capital is at Albany, on the west bank of the Hudson. 
 
 4. The chief rivers of the State are the Hudson, Mohawk, 
 Delaware, Genesee, Oswego, and Susquehannah, with the St. 
 
 Boundaries. — Extent — Population. — Chief cities. — Rivers. 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Lawrence on the north and the Niagara on the west. It pos- 
 Besses a sea-coast from the Atlantic on its southeasterly border 
 along Staten and Long Island of 246 miles, a lake-coast of 
 352 mUes, and 281 miles of navigable rivers. 
 
 5. Its principal lakes, exclusive of Lakes Erie, Ontario, and 
 Champlain, are Lakes George on the east; Cayuga, Seneca, 
 Canandaigua, Crooked, and Chautauque on the west ; and Skaue- 
 ateles, Oneida, and Otsego in the centre and south. The great 
 cataract of Niagara, and the Genesee Falls at Rochester, the 
 Portage, Trenton, Taghkanic, KaaterskUl, and Cohoes Falls, form 
 prominent portions of the scenery. 
 
 6. The Alleghany Mountains enter the south and southeast- 
 ern parts of the State in two distinct ridges from New Jersey and 
 Pennsylvania, forming the Highlands, the Shawangunk, Cattskill, 
 and Helderberg Mountains, and in the northern and northeast- 
 em parts of the State the Adirondack range of moimtains con- 
 stitute a branch of the great Apalachian system. 
 
 7. There are several important mineral and medicinal springs 
 in the interior of the State, the chief of which are those at 
 BaUston, Saratoga, Richfield, Clifton, and Sharon, the extensive 
 saline deposits at Syracuse and Salina, from which from seven 
 to ten millions of bushels of salt are annually manufactured, 
 and various petroleum and gas springs in the western portion of 
 the State. 
 
 8. Among the most important pubhc works are the enlarged 
 Erie and Champlain Canals, with their numerous locks and 
 aqueducts, connecting Lake Erie with the waters of the Hudson 
 and Lake Champlain, with eleven tributary canals in different 
 sections of the State ; the Croton Aqueduct for the supply of 
 water to the city of New York, extending over a distance of 
 forty miles from the Croton River in Westchester County, and 
 spanning the Harlem by the magnificent High Bridge, built of 
 stone, 1,450 feet in length, 114 feet above tide-water, and with 
 fourteen piers varying from fifty to eighty feet in height ; and 
 the Niagara and Lewiston Suspension Bridges. 
 
 9. The geological features of the State present a series of 
 
 Lakes. — Falls. — Monntains. — Mineral, medicinal, and salt springs. 
 Public works. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 9 
 
 rocks older than the coal formation, and terminating in the 
 lowest member of that deposit, near the Pennsylvania line. 
 They consist of the unstratified crystalline or primary, the 
 stratified non-fossUiferous, and the older secondary fossUiferous 
 rocks. Eed sandstone occius in the southern portions bordering 
 on New Jersey ; the great metamorphic belt passes along the 
 eastern line ; granite, with abundance of iron ore and limestone, 
 is found in the northern and northeastern sections of the State, 
 and marble in large quantities in the southeastern. 
 
 10. The climate and soil of the State are eminently favor- 
 able to the cultivation of the various grasses, wheat, oats, Indian 
 com, rye, garden vegetables, flowers, and firuit of every descrip- 
 tion indigenous to the northern temperate regions. The vast 
 forests in the northern section afford nearly every variety of 
 timber ; and the numerous lakes and rivers furnish an ample 
 supply of fish. 
 
 Geological features. — Climate, soil, and prodactions. 
 
INDIAN OCCUPANCY. — THE IROQUOIS, OR FIVE 
 NATIONS. 
 
 1. Long before the white man made his appearance, the ter- 
 ritory now constituting the State of New York was occupied by 
 roving tribes of Indians, engaged in continual and bloody wars 
 with each other and with neighboring tribes, and obtaining a 
 subsistence mainly by hunting, fishing, and predatory incur- 
 sions. 
 
 2. One portion of them, known as the Lenni Lbnape, or 
 Algonquins, occupied the southeastern portion of the State, 
 chiefly on the banks of the Delaware piver ; another, and far 
 
 The Algonquins or Ddawarcs. 
 
iXDiAX occupAyy. w 
 
 the most numerous, known as the Iroquois, occupied the entire 
 region between the Hudson River and Lalies Erie and Ontario. 
 A ijortiou of the Moiiegax tribes, inchiding the Pcquods, were 
 found upon Long Island ; and the Manhattans upon the island 
 of that name, now constituting the city of New York, and the 
 lower portions of Westchester County bordering on the Hudson. 
 
 3. The Iroquois were originally separate tribes or nations, con- 
 sisting of the Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Sen- 
 ecas. In consequence of the perpetual inroads made upon them 
 by the Algonquins or Delawares, the Adironda.cks, Hurous, Eries, 
 and Ottawas of Canada, these tribes, probably as early as the 
 middle of the sixteenth century, formed themselves into a league 
 or confederacy, since known as the Five Nations ; expelled the 
 Adirondacks from their hunting-grounds in Canada, defeated the 
 Hurons and the Ottawas, extirpated the Eries, humbled the 
 Delawares. and carried the terror of their arms as far west as 
 the Mississippi River and southerly to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 4. The Iroquois Confederacy was the most celebrated and 
 powerful of all the Indian leagues on the continent ; and in its 
 leading features strongly resembled the Confederation of States 
 long afterwards established. Each tribe was independent of all 
 the others, except so far as related to the general purposes 
 and object of the Jeague. The head-quarters of this formidable 
 body were established on the banks of the Onondaga Lake, near 
 the site of the present city of Syracuse ; and here annually, or 
 as often as the common interest required, its councils were held. 
 
 5. Hither, summoned by trusty and faithful messengers, came 
 the sacliems and leading warriors of the various tribes from the 
 banks of the Hudson and Jlohawk and the shores of the Onta- 
 rio, Erie, Oneida, Caj'uga, Seneca, and Onondaga Lakes, to con- 
 sult in solemn conclave upon the general welfare, to smoke the 
 pipe of peace, or to dig up the tomahawk and hatchet, and plan 
 the savage war-path against the common enemy. 
 
 (). Here, from time to time were heard the eloquent and spirit- 
 stirring appeals of the Atotarho, or presiding officer, of the sage 
 
 Jlohojrars. — Manhattans. — The Five Nations, — their orifjin, confed- 
 eracv, conqnests. — Character and objects of the confederacy. — Its chiefs, 
 sachems, and orators. 
 
12 FIRST PERIOD. 
 
 Hiawatha, the fierce and stormy Thayandesaga of the Mo- 
 hawks, the noble and solitary Logan of the Cayugas, the elo- 
 quent Red Jacket of the Senecas, the chivalrous Skenandoah 
 of the Oueidas, and the brave Garangula of the Onondagas, 
 with others whose daring exploits and tried wisdom and sagacity 
 entitled them to the confidence and regard of the confederacy. 
 
 7. Here, too, came the accredited representatives of the " Tor- 
 toise" the " Bear" and the " Wolf" tribes of the respective na- 
 tions, to mingle their counsels with those of their brethren : — 
 
 " By the far Mississippi the Illinois shrank 
 When the trail of the Toktoise was seen on the bank ; 
 On the hills of New England the Pequod tvirned pale 
 When the howl of the Wolf swelled at night on the gale ; 
 And the Cherokee shook in his green smiling bowers 
 When the foot of the Beak stamped his carpet of flowers." 
 
 Street's Frontenac. 
 
 8. The confederacy owed its immediate origin to the necessity 
 of combining its forces for the protection or defence of the sep- 
 arate tribes composing it, against the perpetual assaults and in- 
 roads of its enemies. Three of the wisest and most venerated 
 chiefs, — Atotarho, after whom the presiding sachems were 
 named, Toganawetah, and Hah-yoh-wctot-hah, were regarded as 
 its projectors and founders, and revered as possessed of preter- 
 natural qualities. 
 
 9. The traditions of the Iroquois concerning these great 
 chiefs are exceedingly interesting and romantic. Toganawetah 
 is described as a young man of remarkable beauty and unknown 
 origin. After the formation of the confederacy he predicted 
 its final dissolution by the " White Throats," — a people of 
 whose existence they had never heard, but for whose certain ad- 
 vent they watched until their fears were realized by the fulfil- 
 ment of the prophecy. 
 
 10. Toganawetah, having uttered his solemn and mysterious 
 warning of doom from the " Pale Faces," suddenly disappeared 
 and was seen no more. Hah-yoh-wout-hah soon afterwards as- 
 cended to heaven in the presence of the assembled multitude, 
 " amidst bursts of the sweetest melody, in a snow-white canoe 
 
 The Tortoise, Bear, and Wolf Tribes. — The founders of the confed- 
 eracy. — Traditions of the Iroquois. 
 
THE IROQUOIS, OR FIVE NATIONS. 13 
 
 suddenly shot down from the sky, rising higher and higher until 
 he melted away in the upper distance." Atotarho alone re- 
 mained to place himself at the head of the confederacy on the 
 banks of the Onondaga Lake, to govern and instruct his people, 
 and transmit his name and authority to a long line of successors. 
 
 11. It was the belief of this primitive and simple people 
 that when, after death, they reached the " happy hunting- 
 grounds" the Great Spirit woiild provide for them the most 
 delicious fruits known to their native forests, — chiefly the 
 strawberr}-, which, as fast as consumed, would be eternally and 
 unfailinglj- renewed. When one of their number is dying, with 
 that calm and placid stoicism characteristic of the race, those 
 around him are accustomed to say, "He is scenting the straw- 
 berry of the Great Spirit ! " 
 
 12. Having in 1655 accomplished the subjugation of the Hu- 
 rons and Algonquins in Canada and the vicinity of Lake Huron, 
 these indomitable and fiery warriors attacked and conquered, 
 two years later, the Miamis and Ottawas of Michigan. In the 
 beginning of the ensuing century the}' prosecuted their con- 
 quests as far south as the waters of the Cape Fear River in 
 North Carolina, and at a subsequent period nearly exterminated 
 the Cherokees and Catawbas in South Carolina, Georgia, Ala- 
 bama, and Tennessee. 
 
 13. In 1714 they were joined by the Tuscaroras of North 
 Carolina, and from thenceforth assumed the title of the Six 
 Nations. They uniformly adhered to the British interests, or 
 " Corlear '' as they termed that nation, against " Yonondio," or 
 the French ; and on the revolt of the Americans in the Revolu- 
 tionarj' struggle inflicted the most dire calamities on their for- 
 mer friends at Wyoming in Pennsylvania, and at Cherry Valley 
 and the Mohawk settlements in New York. 
 
 14. At the period of the first settlement of New York, the 
 aggregate number of this confederacj' amounted to about forty 
 thousand. Not more than seven thousand remain in existence, 
 and of these a small remnant only is now to be found in the 
 State. 
 
 The strawberry of the Great Spirit — Conquests of the Iroquois. — Ac- 
 cession of the Tuscaroras. — Fidelity to the English. — Comparative num- 
 bers. 
 
Jlinuit's Purchase of Manhattan Island. 
 
 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 DISCOVERIES AXD SETTLEMENTS.— THE DUTCH 
 GOVERNMENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Discovert of the Hcdson Kiver. — First Settlement op the 
 Province of New Netherlands. 
 
 1. The firet Europeans who landed on the soil of New York 
 ■were probably the crew of a French vessel under the com- 
 mand of John de Verr.\zzaso, a Florentine, in the service 
 of Fi-ancis I. of France. From the journals of the voj'age pre- 
 served by him, it appears that about the middle of JIarch, 1524, 
 he arrived on the American coast in Xorth Carolina, from whence, 
 after proceeding south as far as Georgia, he sailed northward to 
 the latitude of 4F, where he entered a harbor, which, from his 
 
 1524. 
 
 John de Verrazzano. 
 
DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS. 15 
 
 description, was probably that of New York. He seems to have 
 remained there about fifteen days, visited by the Indians, and 
 trafficking with them. 
 
 2. After an interval of nearly a centin-y, Samuel Ciiaji- 
 PLAiN, a French navigator, on the 4th of July, 1G09, while '^°^' 
 descending the St. Lawrence liiver and exploring its tributaries, 
 discovered the lake which bears his name. A few daj-s subse- 
 quently, luiiting his forces with the Hurons, Algonquins, and 
 other Indian tribes in the vicinity, he enabled them by the use 
 of fire-arms, hitherto unknown to the natives, to obtain a deci- 
 sive victory over their hereditary enemies, the Iroquois. 
 
 3. Early in 1609, Henry Hudson, an English navigator, after 
 the fiiilure of two expeditions in the employ of a company of 
 London merchants for the discovery of a nearer passage to 
 Asia, offered his services to the Dutch East India Company in 
 Holland ; and on the 4th of April set sail for China in the yacht 
 Half Muon, with his son, and a crew composed of English and 
 Dutch sailors. After several ineffectual attempts to accom- 
 plish his object, he entered Delaware Baj' in August, and on 
 the 3d of September found a safe anchorage at Sandy Hook. 
 
 4. On the succeeding day he proceeded up the present New 
 York Bay along the Jersey coast, sending from time to time his 
 boats on shore, and receiving the visits of the natives, who 
 came on board in gi-eat numbers, clad in loose furs, singing 
 their wild songs, and in the most friendlj"^ manner offering to 
 traffic with the strangers in exchange for pipes, tobacco, maize, 
 beans, and oysters. For several days this mutual interchange of 
 friendly civilities was continued ; and on the 12th of September 
 Hudson entered through the Narrows the river which bears his 
 name, and sailed up its broad channel as far as the present site 
 of Manhattanville. 
 
 5. On the 1 3th and 14th, passing the present site of Yonkcrs, 
 ho proceeded up as far as the Highlands, anchoring in the neigh- 
 boi-hood of West Point; and on the evening of the 17th landed 
 just above the present site of Hudson, where on the ensuing day 
 he had a pleasant interview with the natives. On the lUth he 
 
 Samuel Cliamplain. — Ilenrv Hiulson. — His cmployinont In- tlie Dutch 
 Kast India Company. — Entrance into New York Bay. — Intercourse with 
 the Indians. — Discovery of the river. 
 
16 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 reached the present site of Kinderhook, from whence, after 
 having sent a small boat up the river to a point a little above 
 Albany, he commenced on the 23d his return voyage. 
 
 6. During his trip up the river he was frequently visited by the 
 Indians who came in considerable numbers on their boats, and 
 manifested the most friendly disposition. On his return, how- 
 ever, several attempts were made a little below the Highlands, 
 by the natives, to attack his crew, and in the effort to repulse 
 them some ten or twelve were killed. On the 4th of October he 
 set sail for Europe, and in the ensuing year engaged in another 
 voyage for the discovery of the northwest passage to Asia, in which, 
 near the straits in British America which now bear his name, he 
 was abandoned by his mutinous crew and perished miserably. 
 
 7. Stimulated by the favorable accounts given by 
 Hudson on his return to Holland, another vessel was 
 
 equipped, during the succeeding year, for the fur-trade with 
 the Indians on the banks of the newly discovered river; and 
 this adventure having proved successful, Hendrick Chbistian- 
 SEX and Adrien Block in 1612 fitted out two additional 
 ships for the same purpose, which were speedily fol- 
 lowed by three others under the command of Captains DeWitt, 
 Volckertsen, and May. The island of Manhattan was made the 
 chief depot of the trade, and Christiansen received the appoint- 
 ment of agent for the traffic in furs during the passage of the 
 vessels to and from Holland. He immediately set about the 
 construction of a small fort with a few rude buildings, on the 
 southern extremity of the island, thus laying the first founda- 
 tions of the future city. 
 
 8. Adrien Block, having lost one of his vessels by an 
 accidental fire, set about the construction of another, 
 
 which he completed in the spring of 1G14, and immediately 
 commenced an active exploration of the neighboring country. 
 Passing by the upper waters of the East River into Long Island 
 Sound, and the outlet of the Housatonic River, he ascended the 
 Connecticut to the head of navigation, — thence returning to 
 
 Voyapre up the Hudson to Albany. — Return to Europe. — His death. 
 — Expeditions from Holland in the fur-trade. — Adrien Block. — Foun- 
 dation of New York City. 
 
DUTCH GOVERNMENT. 17 
 
 the Sound, he reached Montauk Point and the present Block 
 Island ; then, turning his course eastward, he explored the 
 Narragunsett Bay, Khode Island, Nahant Ba,j, and the inter- 
 vening islands, and, leaving his vessel at Cape Cod in charge of 
 Coruclis Hendricksou, embarked for Holland in one of the ships 
 on its way from Manhattan. 
 
 9. On the 11th of October a chai'ter was granted by the 
 States-General, conferring upon the merchants engaged in these 
 expeditions the exclusive right of trading in the new territories 
 situated between the fortieth and forty-fifth degrees of north 
 latitude, for four voyages to be completed within three years ; and 
 giving to this entire region the name of New Netherlands. In 
 the mean time Cornelissen Jacobsen May had explored the south- 
 ern coast of Long Island, visited Delaware Bay, and given his 
 name to its noi'theni cape, while Hendrick Christiansen had 
 ascended the Mauritius, as the Hudson River was then termed, 
 to a point a little below Albanj', where he established a fort and 
 warehouse on Castle Island, calling it Fort Nassau. Shortly 
 afterwards, however, Christiansen was murdered by a young In- 
 dian in his employ, and Jacob Eelkins was appointed to succeed 
 him as agent. An association of merchants was formed under 
 the title of the United New Netherlands Company, and the trade 
 in furs with the Indians was vigorously prosecuted. 
 
 10. In the sDrin? of 1617, a solemn council of the 
 
 ^ 1 fil 7 
 
 chiefs and warriors of the several Iroquois tribes, and the 
 representatives of the New Netherlands, was held at a place 
 called Tawasentha, near the present site of Albany, and a for- 
 mal treaty of alliance and peace entered into between them. 
 Protected by the provisions of this treaty the trade with the In- 
 dians became so flourishing and profitable that on the expiration 
 of the charter of the Company in 1618 its renewal was refused 
 by the States-General. Permission was, however, given by special 
 license for a temporary continuance of their operations. 
 
 11. In 1620 Captain Thomas Dei-mer, an Englishman 
 in the service of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, appeared at 
 
 r.xploration and discoveries. — New charter. — Association of merchants. 
 — United New Ketherlands Company. — Council with the Indian trihes at 
 Tawasentha. — Treaty of alliance. — Progress of the fur-trade. — Refusal 
 to renew the charter. — English claims to the territory. 
 2 
 
18 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 Manhattnn on his voyage to New England, and laid claim 
 to the entire territory occupied by the Dutch traders, upon the 
 ground of prior discovery and occupancy. On the representa- 
 tion of liis employers, James 1., the English monarch, granted 
 Goi-ges and his associates a charter of exclusive jurisdiction 
 over all the territories in America between the fortieth and 
 forty-eighth parallels of latitude, and the English ambassador at 
 the Hague was directed to remonstrate against the intrusion of 
 the Dutch occupants. 
 
 12. This remonstrance was, however, unheeded ; and 
 in June, 1G21, the States-General granted a new charter 
 to the Dutch " West India Company," conferring upon them 
 exclusive jurisdiction for a period of twenty-oue years over 
 the Province of New Netherlands, with full and ample powers 
 to trade with the natives from Newfoundland to the Straits 
 of Magellan, to appoint governors subject to the approval 
 of tlic States, to colonize the territory, erect forts, and admin- 
 ister justice throughout the entire territory. The executive 
 management of the association was intrusted to a board of 
 nineteen directors, one of whom was to be appointed by the 
 Government and the remaining eighteen by the Company, dis- 
 tributed through five separate Chambers in different cities of 
 PloUand. 
 
 13. The Amsterdam Chamber, to which had been spe- 
 cially assigned the charge of the Province of New Neth- 
 erlands, sent out a vessel under the command of Comelissen 
 Jacobsen May as director, with thirty families, consisting 
 chiefly of Walloons or French Protestants, with the view of lay- 
 ing a permanent foundation for the projected colony. Eight 
 of these families settled at Manhattan, others took up their 
 abode on the Jersey shore, the Connecticut Kiver, and as far up 
 the Mauritius or Hudson Piiver as the present site of Albany, 
 where they built Fort Orange, four miles above Fort Nassau. 
 George Jansen de Piapelye, with a few Walloon families, occu- 
 pied a portion of Long Island in the vicinity of Walloon's Bay. 
 
 Clmrtcr to Sir Forilinando Gorges and his associ.ites. — The West India 
 Ccmp.iny. — Colonization of New Netherlands. — Cornclissen Jacobsen 
 May the first director. — Settlements at Manhattan. — Fort Orange and 
 Long Island. 
 
DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS. 19 
 
 Reinforced by other accessions to their number, the Manhattan 
 settlement in 1625 amounted to some two hundred persons, and 
 the work of colonization was fairly commenced. May was suc- 
 ceeded in the directorship in 1625 by William Verhulst, who 
 remained, however, only for about one year. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Administration of Peter Minuit. — Purchase and Settlement 
 OF Manhattan Island. 
 
 1. In May, 1026, Peter Minuit airived at New Neth- 
 erlauds as Director-General, and immediately effected 
 
 the purchase of the island of Manhattan, of the Indians, for 
 goods and trinkets to the value of si.\ty guilders, or about 
 tii-entij-fnur dollars. An interchange of friendly relations was 
 established with the English settlement at Plymouth, and ar- 
 rangements for a mutual trade were entered into. In 1028 
 
 1628 
 
 a church was organized with fifty communicants, under the 
 auspices of Jonas Michaclius, a clergyman from Holland. The 
 colony grew apace, and the traffic in furs with the surrounding 
 Indian tribes was, fur a time, quietly, industriously, and profit- 
 ably pursued by the incipient colony. 
 
 2. The germs of future trouble soon, however, began to make 
 their appearance. The murder of a Westchester Indian, who 
 had visited the settlement for the purpose of trade, by three of 
 ilinuit's form servants, had aroused a spirit of revenge which 
 awaited only a fovorable opportunity for its gratification. Not- 
 withstanding the foct that the authorities at Manhattan were 
 entirely ignorant of the commission of this rash outrage, and 
 disclaimed all participation in it, the native tribes sullenly 
 brooded over the unprovoked injurj', and patiently bided their 
 time for a bloody retribution. 
 
 3. In the mean time, the slow growth of the colony i629. 
 
 Peter Minnit. — Purchase of Manhattan Islnnd. — Estahlishmont of 
 friendly relations with the Enirlish colonists at Plymonth. — Organization 
 of a church. — Murder of a 'Westcliester Indian. 
 
20 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 induced the States-General, on the recommendation of the 
 Assembly of Nineteen, to adopt an ordinance granting to any 
 member of the Company who should within four years estab- 
 lisli a colony of fifty persons, exclusive of children under fifteen 
 years of age, the privilege of selecting, with the title of Patroon, 
 a tract of land, outside of the island of Manhattan, sixteen miles 
 in length on one side, or eight miles on each side of any naviga- 
 ble river, and extending as far inland as the proprietor should 
 choose. 
 
 4. The sole conditions, except that of colonization, imposed 
 upon the grantees were : satisfaction to the Indians for the 
 lands selected, the maintenance of a minister and schoolmaster, 
 and the payment of a duty of five per cent on all trade carried 
 on by them, exclusive of that in furs, which the Company re- 
 served to themselves. The Company on their part agi'eed to 
 strengthen the forts at Manhattan, to protect the colonists 
 against all attacks from the Indians or English, and to supply 
 them with a sufficient number of negro servants for an indefi- 
 nite period of time. This was the first introduction of slavery 
 into the province. 
 
 5. The Company also encouraged the emigration of individual 
 settlers by offering them the grant of as much land as they 
 could cultivate, with an exemption from taxation for ten years ; 
 precluding them, however, as well as the settlers under the Pa- 
 troons, from any voice in the government of the colony, and 
 from the manufacture of any linen, woollen, cotton, or other 
 cloth. The Patroons were a species of feudal lords, with full 
 powers over their tenants, the appointment of all local officers, 
 and unrestricted privileges of hunting, fowling, and fishing. 
 
 6. Under these grants large tracts of land on each side of 
 the Hudson, including the present counties of Albany and Rens- 
 selaer, were secured by Kilian Van Rensselaer, a director of the 
 Company, under the title of Rensselaerwyck ; and another di- 
 rector, Michael Pauw, appropriated Stateu Island and a large 
 tract in Xew Jersey, including the present Jersey City and 
 Hoboken, to which he gave the name of Pavonia. A large por- 
 
 Grants of territory to Pjitvoons and other settlers. — Introduction of sla- 
 very. — The Rensselaerwyck Patroons. 
 
DUTCH GOVERNMENT. 21 
 
 tioti of the manorial estate conferred npon Van Rensselaer still 
 remains in the possession of his descendants, and the descend- 
 ants and successors of the original tenants, held by them under 
 nominal rent charges. 
 
 7. The settlement at Manhattan in the mean while continued 
 in a prosperous condition ; its internal and foreign conmicrce was 
 steadily increasing ; a large vessel of eight hundred tons was 
 built and despatched to Holland ; settlements on the Brook- 
 lyn sliore and in the interior of Long Island were springing up ; 
 and immigrants of every shade of religious faith, attracted by the 
 liberal inducements offered by the Dutch Government and by 
 the free toleration of their theological opinions, were flocking 
 to the settlements. 
 
 8. A controversy having arisen between the Company 
 and the Patroons, originating in the interference of the 
 latter in the fur-trade, from all participation in which they were 
 excluded by the terms of their charter, Minuit, who was sus- 
 pected of favoring their pretensions, was in 1G32 recalled. The 
 ship in which he had embarked for Holland having been detained 
 on her return voyage by the English authorities at Plymouth 
 as an illegal trafficker in English goods, a correspondence ensued 
 between the representatives of the two governments in reference 
 to their respective claims to the title of the New Netherlands. 
 
 9. On the one hand, the Dutch relied npon the discoveries of 
 Hudson ; the subsequent immediate occupation of the territory 
 by themselves, ratified and confirmed by charter ; the establish- 
 ment of forts and garrisons for its protection ; the purchase by 
 them of the laud from the natives, and the failure of the Eng- 
 lish to occupy any portion of the territory claimed. The latter 
 relied upon the prior discovery of Cabot, and the patent to the 
 Plymouth Company granted by James J., covering the teiritory 
 in question, — ignoring and denying the validity of any title 
 procured from the Indians, who had themselves a mere posses- 
 Borv claim, — and offering to permit the continued occupation 
 of the province by its present colonists, with a full guaranty 
 of all their rights of property and person, on condition of the 
 transfer of their allegiance to the English Crown. 
 
 Progress of the colony at Manhattan. — Controversy between the Corn- 
 pan}- aufl Patroons. — Recall of Minnit. — English claims. 
 
22 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 10. A definitive settlement of the controversy was, however, 
 deferred to a future period, and the vessel released. Minuit 
 subsequently returned to America during the administration of 
 Governor Kieft, and, under the auspices of Queen Christina of 
 Sweden, laid the foundation of a Swedish colony on the Dela- 
 ware River by the erection of a fort, which ke named after his 
 royal patroness, where, in 1G41, he died and was buried. 
 
 1633. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Administration of Wouter Van Twiller. 
 
 1. In April, 1633, the new Director-General, Wouter Van 
 TwiLLEE, arrived at Manhattan with a small mihtary force 
 and a Spanish vessel captured on the voyage from Hol- 
 land. Among the passengers were Everardus Bogardus, a cler- 
 gy-man, and Adam Roelandsen, the pioneer schoolmaster of the 
 colony. Van Twiller had previously visited the province with a 
 view to the selection of lands under the patroon grants, and had 
 married a niece of KiUiau Van Rensselaer. With the exception 
 of the influence, and knowledge of the country, thus obtained, 
 he seems to have been thoroughly incompetent to the discharge 
 of the duties imposed upon him. 
 
 2. The fort at New Amsterdam, which had been commenced 
 several years before, was completed, a guard-house and bar- 
 racks for the soldiers erected, and a church and parsonage 
 built, under his direction. An angry controversy soon sprung 
 up between Bogardus and the Governor, in which the citizens 
 generally took part, growing out of his administration of the 
 affairs of the province. Bitter recriminations passed between 
 the parties, — the anathemas of the Church were hurled upon 
 the devoted head of the Director, who, in turn, denounced his 
 reverend antagonist, — and the strife was prolonged to the close 
 of his brief administration. 
 
 Swedish settlement on the Delaware by Minuit. — Erection of Fort Chris- 
 tina. — Death of Minuit. — Governor Van Tiviller. — His character. — 
 Controversy with Bogardus. — Adam Roelandsen. — Uebuilding of the 
 fort. — Erection of a church. 
 
DISCOVERIES AXD SETTLEMENTS. 23 
 
 3. In the mean time Jacob Eelkins, a foraier agent of the 
 Compuny at Foi-t Orange, who had been dismissed from their 
 employ, arrived at Manhattan as supercargo of an English ves- 
 sel engaged in the fur-trade. The Governor refused to per- 
 mit the vessel to proceed without the production of a suitable 
 license from the Company. Eelkins declined exhibiting his 
 commission, and claimed the right to trade with the natives as 
 an Englishman to whom the territory legitimately belonged, 
 and after displaying the English flag, and firing a salute in 
 honor of the English king, proceeded up the river in defiance 
 of the gims of the fort. 
 
 4. Van Twiller immediately summoned a meeting of the 
 citizens at the square before the fort, now the Bowling Green, 
 and after collecting their sentiments, and indulging in much 
 bravado and festive display of loyalty to the government of the 
 Prince of Orange, despatched an armed force to Fort Orange, 
 whither Eelkins had already repaired, erected a tent, and was 
 engaged in trading with the natives. The soldiers proceeded, on 
 their arrival, to demolish his tent, take possession of his wares, 
 and reconduct his vessel to Fort Amsterdam, whence it was sent 
 to sea, with a warning henceforth to cease from intermeddling 
 ■with the Dutch trade. 
 
 5. The Governor, soon after entering upon the duties of his 
 administration, had despatched Jacob Van Corlaer and other 
 agents to purchase of the Pequod Indians a tract of land on 
 the Connecticut River, near the present site of Hartford. Upon 
 this tract they built and fortified a redoubt, which they named 
 Fort Good Hope. Against this invasion of their territory the 
 Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies, through Governor Win- 
 throp, sent an earnest remonstrance to Van Twiller, to which 
 he returned a courteous reply, proposing a reference of their 
 respective claims to their several governments. 
 
 6. The Plymouth colonists, however, having secured from the 
 Indians a small tract in the vicinity of the fort, sent Lieutenant 
 AVilliam Holmes with a sufficient force to take possession and 
 commence an English settlement on the present site of Windsor. 
 
 Jacob Eelkins's visit to Manhatt.in. — Defiance of the authority of the 
 Governor. — Van Twiller's proceedings. — Difficulties between the Dutch 
 and English colonists on the Connecticut. 
 
24 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 Van Corlaer ineffectually endeavored to oppose their progress, 
 and Van Twiller sent a force of seventy soldiers to dislodge 
 them. The Dutch commander, however, intimidated by their 
 bold bearing, withdrew without any attempt at their expul- 
 sion. 
 
 7. Van Twiller met with better success in expelling a band 
 of English intruders from the Virginia colony, who, headed by 
 George Holmes, had taken possession of Fort Nassau. The 
 Governor pi-omptly despatched an armed force to South River, 
 which dislodged the occupants and brought them back as pris- 
 oners to Fort Amsterdam, whence they were returned to Point 
 Comfort just in season to intercept a party of their countrymen 
 intending to join them. This energetic display of spirit secured 
 to the province the undisputed control of the South River 
 colony. 
 
 8. After purchasing on his own account, in con- 
 junction with Jacob Van Corlaer and others, a tract of 
 fifteen thousand acres of land, now comprising the flourishing 
 town of Flatlands, to which he afterwards added the islands now 
 known as Governor's, Blackwell's, and Randall's, thus rendering 
 himself the w^ealthiest landholder in the province, he involved 
 himself, with characteristic recklessness and impetuosity, in a 
 quarrel with Van Dincklagen, one of the ablest members of his 
 Council. The latter had complained of his rapacitj', and in re- 
 turn had been deprived of his salary, removed from his ofRce, 
 and sent a prisoner to Holland on a charge of contumac}'. 
 
 9. Van Dincklagen made so strong a representation of the in- 
 efficiency and corruption of the Governor, that the States-Gen- 
 eral urged the Amsterdam Chamber to recall him and reinstate 
 his councillor, with which request the Chamber, after some de- 
 lay, reluctantly complied. Prior, however, to his recall, the 
 AVest India Company had effected the purchase of Pavonia from 
 its patroon, which conferred upon them possession of and juris- 
 diction over the Jersey shore and Staten Island. The patroon- 
 ship of Rensselaerwyck was therefore the only property of this 
 description remaining in the province. 
 
 Invasion of Fort N.iss-iu and its rcconqnest. — Rap.ncity and wealth of 
 Van Tivillcr. — Controversy with Van Dincklagen. — Recall of Van Twil- 
 ler. — Purchase of I'avonia. 
 
DUTCH GOVERNMENT. 25 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AdMIXISTKATION of WiLlIELM KlEPT. 
 
 1. On the 28th of March, 1G38, Wilhelm Kieft ar- 
 rived at Manhattaii as the successor of Van Twiller in 
 
 the government of the colony. He was a man of considerable 
 energy of character, — irritable, capricious, and injudicious, and 
 wholly deficient in that firmness, prudence, and cool discrimina- 
 tion so necessary to his difficult position. His previous career 
 as a merchant at Amsterdam, and subsequently in the employ 
 of the Government, had been stained with dishonor and criminal 
 rapacity, and his administration of the new duties devolved upon 
 him was a stormy and disastrous one ; marked by the assump- 
 tion of dictatorial powers, and distinguished chiefly for rashness, 
 improvidence, and sanguinary contests with the surrounding 
 Indian tribes. 
 
 2. Immediately on his accession he surrounded himself with 
 a Council entirely devoted to his own interests, and obedient in 
 all things to his will. With characteristic activity he set about 
 the reform of a variety of abuses which had crept into the pub- 
 lic service under the lax administration of his predecessor. He 
 prepared a code of laws and regulations strictly prohibiting all 
 illegal traffic under heavy penalties, establishing rigid sanitary 
 observances, and repressing all forms of vice and immorality. 
 
 3. He soon became involved in difficulties with the Swedish 
 colonies on the Delaware and the English settlements on the 
 Connecticut. His remonstrances, however, against the intnision 
 of the Swedish settlers on territory claimed by the Dutch, were 
 disregarded both by the colonists and the States-General, who 
 were unwilling to offi3nd so powerful a neighbor ; and he was re- 
 luctantly compelled to turn his attention in another direction. 
 
 4. A new charter of privileges was conferred upon the 
 colonies by the Company : restricting the patroon rights 
 
 of occupancy to four miles of frontage on navigable rivers and 
 eight miles inland ; granting two hundred acres of land to every 
 
 Wilhelm Kieft. — His character and antecedents. — Reform of abuses. — 
 Code of laws and regulations. — Difficulties with the Swedish colonists. — 
 New charter of privileges. 
 
26 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 six settlers who should transport themselves to the colony at their 
 own expense ; giving the right of choosing their own magis- 
 trates to all villages and cities thereafter to be estal)lished ; re- 
 linquishing the monopoly of the Indian trade in exchange for a 
 moderate duty ; and making a liberal provision for individual 
 settlers. The Eeformed Dtitch religion was recognized as the 
 established faith of the province, with full toleration, however, 
 to all other sects ; and no discrimination, except an oath of 
 fealty to the Dutch Government, was permitted to exist between 
 foreigners and other citizens. 
 
 5. Attracted by these inducements, the colonization of the 
 province rapidly increased, both from Holland and the New 
 England and Virginia colonies. The cultivation of tobacco 
 was introduced ; new fruit-trees and other flowering plants and 
 garden vegetables were domesticated ; and the internal affairs 
 of the colonists were prosperous beyond any previous experience. 
 Large tracts of land on Long Island in the vicinity of the pres- 
 ent Xcwtown, purchased for the Company by the Governor, 
 were brought into cultivation ; a settlement was commenced at 
 Gravesend by Anthony Jansen Rapclye, the brother of the 
 founder of the Walloon Colony ; and other purchases were made 
 of valuable farms in the vicinity of the cit}'. 
 
 6. In the spring of 1640 Kieft, also in behalf of the 
 Company, purchased of the Indians all the remaining ter- 
 ritory comprised within the present limits of Kings and Queens 
 Counties, and De Vries soon after established another colony at 
 Tappan. These were followed in the ensuing year by a colony 
 on the Hackensack River, by Vandcr Voorst, and on all that 
 part of Staten Island not already in possession of De Vries, by 
 Cornelius Melyn. A few scattered settlements had been effected 
 on the eastern part of Long Island, at Southampton. South- 
 old and Greenport, under English grants, and a few years later 
 the towns of East Hampton and Setauket, were founded under 
 the same authority, without any attempts at disturbance on 
 the part of the Dutch Government. 
 
 7. An expedition was during this year fitted out at New 
 Haven by George Lamberton, a merchant, with fifty families. 
 
 Internal prosperity of the colony. — Progress of settlements on Long 
 Island. 
 
DISCOVERIES AND SETTLEMENTS. ■ 27 
 
 for a settlement on the shores of the Delaware. Touching at 
 Manhattan, the emigi-ants were forbidden by Kieft to prose- 
 cute further their enterprise. They, however, disreiiarded his 
 tlireats, and proceeded on their voyage. Kioft, indignant at 
 this defiance of his authority, organized a force for their sum- 
 mary e.xpulsion ; but, being prevented by Indian disturbances at 
 home, deferred the enterprise until the following year, when 
 with the aid of the Swedes he succeeded in breaking up the set- 
 tlement and sending back the English with their goods to New 
 Haven. Lamberton, who persisted in trading at the South 
 River, was arrested and compelled to pay full duties on his 
 cargo. Demands for satisfaction on the part of the English col- 
 onies, and continued annoyances ensuing from the refusal on 
 the part of Kieft, induced the latter finally to proclaim an ordi- 
 nance of non-intercourse with the Connecticut colony. 
 
 8. Negotiations were now opened for the purchase of the ter- 
 ritory in the neighborhood of the Dutch post on the Connecticut 
 River; but all terms being refused, botli parties appealed to their 
 respective governments for redress. The pendency of the civil 
 war in England, however, prevented a settlement of the difficul- 
 ties ; and the English colonists continued for some time longer 
 to harass and disturb their Dutch neighbors. 
 
 9. In July, 1G40, Kieft sent an armed force against 
 the Raritan Indians, belonging to the Delaware tribe in 
 New Jersey, for an alleged robbery on Staten Island, by a portion 
 of the tribe. Although these Indians were entirely innocent of 
 the offence, ten of their warriors were ruthlessly slaughtered and 
 their crops and other property destroyed. This severe chastise- 
 ment soon provoked a bloody retaliation. The plantation of De 
 Vries, on Staten Island, was attacked, his dwelling burned, and 
 four of his planters killed. Other outrages speedily followed, and 
 the foundations were thus laid for a vindictive contest, which 
 for a time threatened the extermination of the infant colony. 
 
 10. Satisfaction having been refused by the chiefs of the 
 offending tribes, a general declaration of war against the 
 savages was resolved upon. Previously, however, to engaging 
 in active hostilities, Kieft deemed it prudent to convoke a 
 
 Lamberton's expedition to the Delaware. — Procecdinsrs of Kieft. — Attack 
 upon the Raritan Indians. — Burning of De Vries' plantation. — Indian War. 
 
28 ' SECOyD PERIOD. 
 
 general council of the principal citizens, who, on the 28th of 
 August, 1G41, nominated a select committee of twelve of their 
 number to act as their representatives. This committee, while 
 making every preparation for the impending conflict, exerted, 
 in conjunction with the officers and agents of the Company, the 
 utmost efforts for the peaceful settlement of the controversy. 
 
 11. Kieft, however, succeeded, in the commencement of 
 
 the ensiling year, in obtaining a reluctant consent from 
 the representative Council for the immediate adoption of vigor- 
 ous measures for the chastisement of the Indians. He at once 
 despatched a party of eighty men up the river, with orders to 
 exterminate by fire and sword the neighboring Westchester 
 tribe, a member of which, in retaliation for a murder committed 
 twenty years before by Minuit's farm servants, had slain in cold 
 blood an unoft'ending citizen, and was protected and justified 
 by the tribe. The Indians, however, on learning their danger, 
 sued for peace, promising to deliver up the murderer. 
 
 12. Pending these negotiations, two other murders were com- 
 mitted by the Indians, and satisfaction was promptly demanded 
 by the Governor. In the mean time a band of Mohawks made a 
 descent upon the river Indians, and, after killing and captur- 
 ing many of their number, compelled them to flee for succor to 
 the Dutch at Manhattan. More than a thousand of the hapless 
 fugitives encamped on the Jersey shore at Pavonia, while the 
 residue crossed the river, and appealed to the colonists for pro- 
 tection against their enraged and relentless enemies. A favor- 
 able opportunitj' was thus afforded for the restoration of friendly 
 relations between the settlers and the natives ; but it was frus- 
 trated by an act of wanton and disgraceful treachery and cruelty 
 unparalleled in the annals of civilized humanity. 
 
 13. The faction in New Amsterdam in favor of a war 
 
 of extermination against the Indians, supported by the 
 influence of the Governor, succeeded in obtaining from that 
 officer full authority to avail themselves of the helpless condi- 
 tion of the fugitives thus thrown upon their hospitality, by a gen- 
 eral and indiscriminate massacre. In defiance of the most ur- 
 
 Formation of a representative eommittee. — E.xpedition against West- 
 chester Indians. — Attack of the Mohawks upon the river tribes. — Massacre 
 of the Indians at Pavonia and Corlaer's Hook. 
 
DUTCH GOVERNMENT. 29 
 
 gent remonstrances of the leading citizens, at midnight on the 
 25th of Febriiary, 1C43, this inhuman and revolting outrage 
 was perpetrated under the immediate sanction of the Gov- 
 ernor, and eighty of the Indians .at Pavonia — men, women, 
 and children, surprised in the midst of their unsuspecting 
 slumbers — were despatched by the muskets of their enemies or 
 driven into the river to perish. A similar massacre was at the 
 same time perpetrated at Corlaer's Hook, upon the confiding 
 and unconscious savages there. 
 
 14. These atrocious deeds reflect indelible infamy upon the 
 memory of Kieft, who was solely responsible for their commis- 
 sion. Well had it been if the swift retribution for their enor- 
 mity could have fallen only upon him and his inhuman ad- 
 visers and instruments ! All the neighboring tribes immediately 
 concentrated their forces for avenging this outrage upon their 
 brethren, and openly proclaimed an unrelenting war against 
 the devoted colonists. They took possession of the swamps and 
 morasses of the island, lay in wait to shoot down the settlers at 
 their work, to drive off their cattle, bum their dwellings, cap- 
 ture their wives and children, and devastate their possessions. 
 Universal terror prevailed. The white settlements on every 
 hand were attacked, and the colonists were reduced to despair. 
 
 15. Overtures of peace, preferred by Kieft, who too late 
 began to repent his rashness, were scornfully rejected. Bitter 
 recriminations passed between his cowardly advisers and him- 
 self ; and the persecuted colonists heaped the most contume- 
 lious reproaches upon his head for his agency in bringing about 
 the deplorable condition in which they found themselves. They 
 even threatened his deposition and arrest as a prisoner, and 
 talked of sending him in chains to Holland. De Vries alone, 
 who had thrown the whole weight of his influence in opposition to 
 the infatuated policy of the Governor, retained the confidence as 
 ■well of the colonists as their maddened opponents, the savages. 
 
 16. Early in the spring, however, a white flag approached 
 the fort, and through De Vries and Olfertson, who alone dared 
 to confront the Indians who bore it, an interview took place 
 with the sachems of the surrounding tribes, followed by a 
 treaty providing for a temporary truce. In August the war 
 
 Indian hostilities. — Indignation against the Governor. — De Vries. 
 
30 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 was again renewed, a new representative Council summoned by 
 the Governor, an alliance entered into with the Long Island 
 tribes, and energetic preparations made for offensive military 
 operations, under tlic charge of Captain John Underbill. 
 
 1 7. The Indians on their part renewed their savage attacks 
 upon all the neighboring settlements. The outlying farms 
 were ruthlessly sacked ; the plantation of the celebrated Anne 
 Hutchinson on the East River near Hell Gate burned, and her- 
 self, and her whole family, with one exception, murdered ; 
 and throughout Westchester and the adjoining settlements, on 
 Long Island and the Jersey shore, indiscriminate plunders and 
 massacres were of daily occurrence. The sole place of safety 
 for the hunted colonists w^as the fort at New Amsterdam, where 
 some two or three hundred defenders, with their wives and 
 children, were collected to resist the constant attacks of fifteen 
 hundred armed and maddened savages. De Vries, finding him- 
 self ruined, and helpless, notwithstanding his great influence 
 with the Indians, to avert the calamitous results of Kieft's reck- 
 less folly, abandoned the colonj' and returned to Holland. 
 
 18. The aid of the New Haven colony was in this 
 emergency unsuccessfully invoked by the Council ; and 
 after an earnest and pressing appeal to Holland for assistance 
 in this their hour of sore distress, the colonists sent out several 
 expeditions against the Indian villages. The chief of one of the 
 friendly Long Island tribes at Hempstead having follen under 
 suspicion of treachery to the whites, Kieft, without any effort 
 to ascertain the truth of the charge, despatched a force of one 
 hundred and twenty men with orders to exterminate the tribe. 
 These orders were promptly carried into effect with circum- 
 stances of revolting barbarity and cruelty. Upwards of a hun- 
 dred waiTiors were slaughtered, and two prisoners, conducted to 
 Fort Amsterdam, put to death with excruciating tortures. 
 
 19. Underbill was then ordered with a hundred and fifty 
 men on an expedition against the Connecticut Indians at 
 Cireenwich, who were surrounded at midnight, while celebrat- 
 ing one of their annual festivals, and put to the sword. 
 
 Truce with the Indians. — Renewal of the war. — Military preparations 
 of the colonists. — Devastations of the Indians. — Murder of Anne Hutch- 
 inson. — Helpless condition of the settlers. — JIassacre of Long Island 
 Indians. — Massacre at Greenwich of Connecticut Indiana. 
 
DISCOVKRIES ANU SETTLEMENTS. 31 
 
 Nearly two hundred of their number were killed, and the residue 
 forced into their -wigwams, which were immediately fired, and 
 their hapless occupants either burned or shot in their efforts to 
 escape. Eight only, of six hundred men, women, and children, 
 escaped the fearful siaugliter and conflagration. This san- 
 guinary battle virtualh' terminated the war, although desul- 
 tory hostilities continued down to the fall of the succeed- 
 ing year, 1645, when a final treaty of peace and amity 
 was concluded at the Bowling Green, and a day of gen- 
 eral thanksgiving proclaimed. 
 
 20. At this period scarcely a hundred men were left on 
 JIanhatt m Island, and such of the neighboring colonists as 
 survived the calamities of the war had been reduced to pov- 
 erty and destitution. Cattle, farms, provisions, and dwellings 
 v.-ere destroyed, and everything bore tokens of a long, perilous, 
 and deadly struggle -n-ith an infuriated and savage foe. A re- 
 inforcement of Dutch soldiers, forwarded by Stuyvesant, then 
 Governor of Curacoa, were billeted upon the citizens, and the 
 expense of their clothing supplied by the imposition of an excise 
 tax. Indignant at the enforcement of this additional burden, 
 the Council demanded the recall of Kieft, denounced him as 
 the autlior of the war, and petitioned for the allowance to the 
 citizens of a voice in the municii)al government. 
 
 21. Their memorial met with a favorable reception. 
 Kieft was ordered home, new regulations for the gov- 
 ernment of the province were made, and its administration 
 confided to new hands. On his outward voyage, the late Gov- 
 ernor perished by shipwreck, leaving behind him a melancholy 
 record of abused power and perverted opportunities of useful- 
 ness. With him -n-ere two of the members of the Council, un- 
 der sentence of banishment by the now Director on charges 
 preferred by Kieft, and Dominie Bogardus, who w^as on his way 
 to answer similar charges prefeiTcd by the new Council. The 
 two former were rescued and sulisequently returned with honor 
 to the colony. Bogardus and eighty others, including the Gov- 
 ernor, went down with the ill-fated vessel. 
 
 Treaty of peace. — General thanksgiving. — IJediieed condition of the col- 
 ony. — Arrival of reinforcements. — Excise tax. — Indignation of the citi- 
 zens. — Recall and death of KicfL 
 
New Amsterdiim iii 1G06. 
 
 1647. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Administration op Petek Stuyvesant. 
 
 1. Peter Stuyvesaxt, the newly appointed Director, took 
 possession of the government on the 11th of May, 1647. 
 On his arrival he was greeted with a hearty and cor- 
 dial reception by the citizens^ to which he responded by recip- 
 rocal professions of interest and regard. He had for several 
 years been in the Company's service as Director of their colony 
 at Curacoa, and was distinguished for his energy and bravery. 
 Having lost a leg in an attack on the Portuguese settlement at 
 St. Martin's,, he had been obliged to return to Europe for sur- 
 gical aid, whence, still retaining his former commission, he was 
 sent to the charge of the Province of New Netherlands. 
 
 2. Immediately on his accession he organized a representative 
 Council of nine members from a list of eighteen presented to 
 him by the inhabitants of the province, and gave his assent to 
 
 Peter Stuyvesant. — His reception, antecedents, and character. 
 Bentative Council. 
 
 -Repre- 
 
DCrVH GOVERNMEST. 33 
 
 various important provisions for the regulation of trade and 
 commerce. By a conciliatory and just treatment of the Indians 
 so recently in revolt he speedily gained their affection and good- 
 will, and by his judicious measures for their mutual protection 
 restored peace and hai-monj' among all classes. 
 
 3. To adjust the controversy which was still pending between 
 the Dutch and English governments respecting the territory 
 claimed by each on Long Island and at the mouth of the Con- 
 necticut River, Governor Stuyvesant assented to the appointment 
 of two arbitrators on each side, who assigned to New England 
 all that portion of Long Island comprising the present Suffolk 
 County, and all that portion of Connecticut situate east of a 
 specified line nowhere less than ten miles east of the Mauritius 
 or Hudson River. The Dutch remained in possession of their 
 territoiy at Fort Good Hope. 
 
 4. The terms of this arrangement were very unacceptable to 
 the people of the Manhattan colony, who loudly complained of 
 the Governor's course, accusing him of partiality to the English 
 interest and injustice to their own. They demanded, moreover, 
 an independent municipal government, such as had been bestowed 
 upon the neighboring settlement at Brooklyn, the principal pro- 
 visions of which were copied fi"om those of the cities of Holland. 
 
 5. On the 4th of April, 1652, this petition was acceded 
 to by the Company, and a burgher government estab- 
 lished at ilanhattan, consisting of a fiscal agent, to be appointed 
 by the Company, and two burgomasters and five inferior magis- 
 trates elected by the people, who were to form a municipal 
 court of justice, subject to the appellate jurisdiction of the 
 Supreme Court of the Province. 
 
 6. Constant intrigues, in the mean while, were in pro- 
 gress between the New England colonies and the English 
 settlei-s on Long Island, covertly fostered by the English Gov- 
 erameut under Cromwell, having for their ultimate object the 
 conquest of the Dutch province. Stuyvesant was accused of 
 
 Regulations for trade .ind eommorcc. — Treatment of the Indians. — 
 Adjustment of boundaries between the New Enjiland and Putcli colonies. 
 — Diss.itisfaction of the people. — Establishment of burgher governments 
 at Manhattan and Brooklyn. — Intrigues of the English for the conquest of 
 the province. 
 
 3 
 
U iSECOND PEIUOU. 
 
 haring plotted with the Narragansett Indians for the destruction 
 of the English. This charge was indignantly denied, and was 
 wholly unsupported by proof ; and the General Court of Massa- 
 chusetts discountenanced all efforts to involve the two colonies 
 in war. Cromwell, however, was induced to fit out an expedi- 
 tion against Xew Amsterdam, wlien the restoration of peace be- 
 tween England and Holland put an end, for the time being, to 
 all further proceedings in this direction. 
 
 7. With a view, however, to counteracting the growing in- 
 fluence of tlie English settlers, increased municipal powers were 
 bestowed ujion the several corporations on Long and Manhat- 
 tan Islands, and the demands of the inhabitants for a more 
 extended participation in the government acceded to by Stuyve- 
 sant, notwithstanding the remonstrances of the Company, and 
 even in opposition to his own judgment. 
 
 8. In the ensuing year the Governor, under the direc- 
 tion of the Company, reconquered the Swedish forts on 
 the Delaware from the Swedes who had captured them, and the 
 Dutch Government again resumed possession of the territory, 
 with honorable terms to the inhabitants. 
 
 9. During the absence of the troops on this expedition the 
 slumbering hostility of the Indians against the settlers again 
 broke out. A woman belonging to one of the neighboring tribes 
 having, a few years previous, been detected in stealing, was shot 
 by one of the inhabitants of the city ; and the warriors of the 
 tribe availed themselves of the departure of the troops to re- 
 venge the murder. On the morning of the 15th of September 
 two thousand armed savages landed at Fort Amsterdam before 
 daybreak, and spread themselves over the town, on pretence of 
 searching for some missing Indians. 
 
 10. Tlie inhabitants, however, suspecting their object, treated 
 them with great civility and succeeded in persuading thom to 
 leave town in the evening and cross over to Govemoi''s Island. 
 They soon returned in force, shot the murderer of the woman 
 and tomahawked another citizen, when they were again forced 
 back to their canoes by the startled inhabitants. Crossing 
 the Hudson, they made a descent ui)on Pavonia and Hoboken, 
 
 Extension of municipal jjowers. — Reconqucst of the Swedish forts on 
 the Delaware. — Renewal of Indian hostilities. 
 
ADitlSlSTRATlON OF PETER STUYVESANT. 35 
 
 slaughtering men, women, and children, and burning houses, 
 barns, and crops. Thence they proceeded to Staten Island, 
 where they repeated their merciless and bloody work. One 
 hundred of the settlers were killed, and a still greater number 
 captured, and twenty-eight farms and crops were laid waste. 
 The Long Island settlements were next threatened, and general 
 consternation prevailed. 
 
 11. An express was immediately forwarded to the Governor, 
 who at once returned to the city. Instead, however, of pro- 
 ceeding to the adoption of violent measures with his formidable 
 and victorious foes, he prudently resorted to conciliatory coun- 
 sels, kind words, and liberal presents, while at the same time 
 displaying the utmost energy in placing the city on a footing 
 of military defence. Pacified by his gifts and overawed by his 
 display of force, the Indians soon relinquished their prisoners 
 and entered into negotiations for peace. 
 
 12. With the restoration of peace, both at home and 
 abroad, the prosperity of the colony rapidly and steadily 
 advanced. The population of New Amsterdam consisted at 
 this period of about one thousand inhabitants, occupying one 
 hundred and twenty dwelling-houses. The average price of 
 the best city lots was fifty dollars, and the average yearly 
 rent of the best houses about fourteen. There being but one 
 public school in the city, and the Governor having declined 
 authorizing the establishment of a private institution, applica- 
 tion was made to the Company for a Latin teacher by several 
 of the burghers who were desirous of giving a classical educa- 
 tion to their children, alleging in support of their request 
 that by this means " New Amsterdam might finally attain to an 
 academy, the credit of which would redound to the honor of the 
 Company." The request was complied with, and a flourishing 
 Latin school established by Dr. Alexander Carolus Curtius, who 
 was soon afterwards succeeded by Dominie ^Egidius Luyck, the 
 private family tutor of Governor Stuyvesant. 
 
 13. The continued encroachments of the New England 
 colonies and the long and vexatious controversies respect- 
 Attack upon Pavonia, Hoboken, and Lons and Manhattan Islands.- 
 
 Prudent conduct of the Governor. — Restoration of peace. — Flourishing 
 condiiion of the colony. 
 
3G SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 ing the territorial boundaries fixed by conflicting grants of the 
 two governments, occupied a large share of the time and atten- 
 tion of the Governor. In 1664 Charles II. of England granted 
 by letters patent to his brother, the Duke of York, all the 
 ten-itory from the Connecticut River to the shores of the Dela- 
 ware, embracing the entire possessions held by the Dutch. The 
 Duke immediately sent an English squadron under the com- 
 mand of Colonel Ilichard Nicolls, to enforce his claim. The 
 fleet anchored in the bay in August, and demanded the sur- 
 render of the city and government. 
 
 1 4. Governor Stuyvesant peremptorily refused to capitulate, 
 and for several weeks resisted the popular clamor for surrender. 
 The evident weakness, however, of the fortifications, and the 
 strength of the dominant English faction, finally induced him 
 reluctantly to yield ; and on the 3d of September, 1664, the 
 English flag was hoisted upon the public buildings. Early in 
 October the government of the colony was transferred to Nicolls, 
 and the names of New Netherlands and New Amsterdam were 
 changed to " New York," and that of Fort Orange to "Albany." 
 Stuyvesant himself, after a brief visit to Holland, returned to 
 the city where so large a portion of his active life had been spent, 
 took possession of his farm, now traversed by the " Bowery," and 
 died in August, 1682. His remains still repose in the vaults of 
 St. Mark's Church, in Tenth Street. 
 
 15. Soon after the smrender of the colony to the English, all 
 that portion of New Netherlands now constituting the State of 
 New Jersey was conveyed by the Duke of York to Lord Berkeley 
 and Sir George Carteret, and a separate proprietary government 
 established. The settlements on the Delaware pertained to the 
 New York colony until their purchase by William Penn in 1682, 
 when they were annexed to Pennsylvania ; and Long Island 
 was purchased by the Duke of York, in disregard of the claims 
 of the Connecticut colony, and became annexed to New York, 
 where it has since remained. Staten Island had been purchased 
 by the Dutch Company in 1661 from its owners, and several 
 small settlements on that territory and on Long Island effected. 
 
 f'ontrovcrsifis respecting boundaries. — Grant of patent to tlie Duke of 
 York. — Arrival of an Enfrlisli fleet, and surrender of tlic colony to Colonel 
 Kicolh. — Death of Governor Stuyvesant. — Tran.sfer of New Jersey. — 
 The Delaware settlements. — Purchase and annexation of Long Island. 
 

 New York City Hall in 1679, cor. Pearl Street and Coentijs Slip. 
 
 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 ENGLISH GOVERNMENT TO THE PERIOD OF THE 
 FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 1665. 
 
 Administration op Governors Nicolls, Lovelace, and Andkos. 
 
 1. Colonel Nicolls, soon after entering upon his 
 official duties as Governor, remodelled the city charter, 
 changing the form of the municipal government by placing the 
 executive power in the hands of a mayor, aldermen, and sheriif, 
 to be appointed by the Governor. The mayoralty was conferred 
 upon Thomas Willett, one of the first Plymouth emigrants. 
 The power to enact laws and impose taxes was retained in the 
 hands of the Governor and his Council. 
 
 Governor Nicolls. — New city charter. 
 
38 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 2. The titles of the owners of property throughout the prov- 
 ince under the Dutch Government were formally confirmed by 
 new grants, involving a heavy burden of expense upon the pro- 
 prietors. This, together with the increase of taxation conse- 
 quent upon the organization of a new government, the strength- 
 ening and repair of the forts, and preparations for defence 
 against an apprehended invasion from Holland, rendered the 
 
 new administration somewhat unpopular; and in 1668, 
 Governor Nicolls asked for and obtained his recall. Hav- 
 ing engaged in a subsequent war with Holland, he was killed 
 in a naval engagement in 1672. 
 
 3. He was succeeded in the government of the province by 
 Colonel Francis Lovelace, whose administration proved even 
 more unacceptable than that of his predecessor. To the re- 
 monstrances of the people and their protest against taxation 
 without representation he turned a deaf ear, denouncing their 
 complaints as scandalous and seditious, — fit only to be burned 
 by the hands of the common hangman. " The people," he in- 
 formed them, " should have liberty for no thought but how to 
 pay their taxes." 
 
 4. War having been declared in 1672 by England 
 against Holland, the Dutch promptly availed themselves 
 of the opportunity to regain their lost possessions in America. 
 A squadron of five ships was despatched in the summer of 
 1673 for the reconquest of the province and city of 
 New York. Lovelace, without making any suitable prep- 
 arations for defence, placed the fort in the hands of Captain 
 John Manning, and proceeded to Albany for the settlement of 
 some Indian difficulties in that quarter. 
 
 5. On receiving information of the approach of the fleet, he 
 returned to the city, and set about vigorous measures for resist- 
 ance, which, however, were speedily abandoned, and he again left 
 the city. On the 29th of July the squadron made its appear- 
 ance off Sandy Hook, and on the succeeding day anchored at 
 Staten Island. The Governor was again sent for, and Manning 
 hastily made every preparation for defence. Not being seconded 
 
 Confirmation of Dutch titles. — Recall and death of Nicolls. — Francis 
 Lovelace. — His arbitrary measures. — War between England and Holland. 
 — Despatch of a squadron for the reconquest of New York. 
 
ENGLISH GOVERNMENT. 39 
 
 in these efforts by the inhabitants, either of the city or province, 
 resistance was apparently hopeless. 
 
 6. The city having been summoned to surrender by the offi- 
 cers of tlie squadron, a heavy cannonade was opened against the 
 fort without being returned ; and Captain Anthony Colve, with 
 six hundred men, soon effected a landing, and ranged themselves 
 before the fort preparatory to taking possession of the city. 
 Manning attempted a parley, and ineffectually endeavored to 
 open a negotiation with the commander ; but in the absence of 
 any authority for definite proposals, he was compelled to sur- 
 render the fort, with permission to the garrison to retire with the 
 honors of war. The city was again in possession of the Dutch 
 Government under the name of New Orange ; several of the 
 English soldiers were sent to Holland as prisoners ; and Lovelace 
 returned with the squadron to Europe, leaving Captain Anthony 
 Colve in command of the province. 
 
 7. ^Manning was subsequently, on its recovery, tried and con- 
 victed by court-martial for cowardice and treachery, and adjudged 
 to have his sword broken over his head by the executioner in front 
 of the City Hall, and to be incapacitated from thereafter holding 
 any civil or military office in the gift of the Crown. Lovelace was 
 also severely reprimanded by the English Government, and his 
 estate confiscated. There seems no sufficient evidence against 
 Manning to warrant so ignominious a punishment ; but the Eng- 
 lish were smarting under a humiliating defeat, and were little 
 disposed to mete out strict justice to those who in any way had 
 contributed to its infliction. 
 
 8. During the brief administration of Colve the city and its de- 
 fences were strengthened and placed upon an effective military 
 footing, in apprehension of an effort for its recapture by the 
 English. The claims of the Dutch to the entire province were 
 reasserted and vigorously maintained. On tlie 9th of February, 
 1674, however, the territory was restored to the English 
 
 by the provisions of a treaty with the States-General, and 
 
 in November subsequently delivered up to their possession. 
 
 A new patent for the territory, confirming the i^revioiis grant 
 
 Inefficiency of Lovelace and Manning. — Recapture of the city. — Re- 
 turn of Lovelace to Europe. — Proceedings against Manning and Lovelace. 
 — Administration of Colve. — Restoration of the province to the English. 
 
40 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 to the Duke of York, was issued, and Major Edmund Andeos 
 appointed Governor. 
 
 9. Thus terminated, at the close of half a century from its 
 commencement, the government of the Dutch over the city and 
 province built up chiefly by their eiforts and maintained by 
 their care. Whatever may have been the defects of their ad- 
 ministration of its internal and external affairs, measured by 
 the more liberal standard of subsequent events, the social and 
 domestic virtues of its primitive inhabitants, their indomita- 
 ble patience and steady perseverance under the most discourag- 
 ing trials and sufferings, and their strict honesty and integrity, 
 simple manners, and blameless lives, have unquestionably ex- 
 erted a powerful influence upon the character and civil and 
 political institutions of the State which they founded. 
 
 10. Governor Andros pursued in his government the same 
 arbitrary and oppressive course, under the directions of the 
 Duke, as had characterized the administration of his predeces- 
 sors, — repressing every effort on the part of the people for a 
 share in the public councils, — and availing himself of every 
 pretext for the increase of his power. He attempted the exten- 
 sion of his jurisdiction to the Connecticut River on the east, 
 but, finding the people of that province prepared to dispute 
 his claims by force, abandoned the undertaking. He however 
 succeeded in planting a settlement and establishing a fort in 
 Maine, between the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers, and in add- 
 ing to his territories Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and a 
 small tract between the Delaware and Schuylkill. 
 
 11. In 1680 he was summoned to England to answer 
 charges preferred hy the proprietors of the New Jersey 
 Government, of interference with their privileges. On his ac- 
 quittal he again returned, with renewed instructions for the 
 continuance of his oppressive measures. The resistance of the 
 people, however, and the counsels of the celebrated William Penn, 
 induced the Duke to modify his pretensions; and in 1683 
 Andros was recalled, and Colonel Thomas Dongan ap- 
 pointed as his successor, with instructions to convoke a popu- 
 lar Assembl}'. 
 
 General characteristics of the Dutch Government. — Arbitrary measures 
 of Andros. — Accession of territory. — Charges by New Jersey proprietors. 
 Kecall of Andros. — Thomas Dongan. — Concessions of the Duke. 
 
ENGLISH GOVERNMENT. 41 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Admixistkahon op Thomas Dongan. 
 
 1. In accordance -with his instructions, Governor DoN- 
 GAN, immediately upon his arrival, directed the call of a 
 representative Assemblj', which, consisting of ten councillors 
 and seventeen representatives chosen by the people, and pre- 
 sided over by himself, convened in the city of New York, on 
 the 17th of October, 1G83. The first act of this body was to 
 frame a Charter of Liberties, vesting the supreme legislative 
 power in the Governor, Council, and people, in general assem- 
 bly, conferring the right of suffrage on the freeholders without 
 restraint, and establishing trial by jury. 
 
 2. The imposition of any tax without consent of the Assem- 
 bly, the quartering of soldiers or seamen on the inhabitants 
 against their will, the declaration of martial law, or the ques- 
 tioning of any person professing faith in God, hj Jesus Christ, 
 for any differences of opinion in religious matters, were prohib- 
 ited. Assemblies were directed to be convened at least trienni- 
 ally, and the delegates were apportioned according to population, 
 for which purpose the province was divided into twelve counties, 
 with twenty -one representatives, which number was afterwards 
 increased to twenty-seven. 
 
 3. The Duke of York having succeeded to the Eng- 
 lish throne imder the title of James II., many arbitrary 
 exactions were again imposed upon the colony, — representa- 
 tive governments discouraged, freedom of the press prohibited, 
 and a general feeling of insecurity induced. Strong efforts 
 were made for the introduction of the Roman Catholic religion 
 against the convictions of the people. All the offices of govern- 
 ment, including the highest, were filled by Catholics. Govei-nor 
 Dongan was instructed to favor the introduction of Catholic 
 priests among the Iroquois tribe of Indians ; but apprehensive 
 of the ambitious designs of the French for the extension of their 
 
 Governor Ponj^nn. — Representative Assembly. — Charter of Liberties. 
 — Accession of James II. — Arbitrary measures of the King. 
 
42 TBIRD PERIOD. 
 
 influence in this quarter, he eflfectually resisted the adoption of 
 this policy. These tribes continued faithful to the English alli- 
 ance, and successfully defended themselves against the invasions 
 of the French. 
 
 4. During the past twenty years, the confederated Iroquois 
 tribes, availing themseh-es of their knowledge of the use of fire- 
 arms, acquired from their intimacy with the Dutch colonists, had 
 renewed their hereditary warfare with the Hurons, defeated and 
 extirpated the Eries, south of the lake of that name, and ob- 
 tained a complete ascendency over all the hostile tribes from the 
 Kennebec to the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. 
 
 5. They had, moreover, held at bay the French forces in 
 Canada ; thrice repelled with severe loss the invasions of Cham- 
 plain, and in their turn attacked the territory of New France. 
 Though defeated and repulsed in this undertaking, they con- 
 tinued their hostilities in the face of the utmost power of the 
 French authorities, — disregarding all efforts at conciliation, 
 and declining the mediation even of the Jesuit missionaries, with 
 whom they were on the most friendly terms, — until they had 
 obtained an unquestioned superiority, and had even laid siege to 
 Quebec. 
 
 6. The English colonies, in the mean time, had strengthened 
 and confirmed their alliance with the tribes, notwithstanding 
 the explicit instructions forwarded from the home government 
 to preserve friendly relations with the French. In 1684 a coun- 
 cil of chiefs and warriors met the governors of New York and 
 Virginia at Albany, where the " pipe of peace " was smoked, 
 the hatchet permanently buried, and the chain of concord 
 brightened and its links firmly riveted. The arrival of a mes- 
 senger from De la Barre, the French governor of Canada, had 
 only the effect of confirming their resolutions, and stimulating 
 their hostility to their ancient enemies. 
 
 7. De la Barre, immediately on his return, set in motion a 
 formidable army of six hundred French soldiers, four hundred 
 Indians, and seven hundred Canadians, with the view of attack- 
 ing the English fort on the southern shore of Lake Ontario ; 
 
 Adhesion of the Iroquois to the English, and resistance to the French. — 
 Conquests of the Iroquoi-;. — Alliance with the English. — Council at Al- 
 banv. — Invasion of the French. 
 
ADMIXISTRATION OF THOMAS DONG AX. 43 
 
 but, after crossing the lake and disembarking his troops, he 
 found himself compelled by the unhealthiness of the season 
 and his fruitless efforts to encounter his foes to oiFer terms of 
 peace, which were liaughtily accepted, and he was allowed to 
 depart, leaving his allies at the mercy of their implacable ene- 
 mies. 
 
 8. He was succeeded in his command in the ensuing year by 
 Denonville, with a reinforcement of French troops. The at- 
 tempt to establish a fort at Niagara was resisted by Governor 
 Dongan, who claimed the entire territory south of the Great 
 Lakes as belonging to England, and was rendered futile by the 
 active and watchful hostility of the confederated tribes. 
 
 9. In 1687, Lamberville, the missionary to the Onon- 
 dagas, was employed by the French to decoy the Iroquois 
 chiefs into Fort Ontario; where they were arrested, put in irons, 
 sent to Quebec, and from thence to Europe, and chained to the 
 oars in the galleys at Marseilles. Lamberville, as the uncon- 
 scioiia instrument of this treachery, was protected by the chiefs 
 of the tribe from the vengeance of the warriors. 
 
 10. In the mean time the Seneca country was overrun by 
 the French troops without serious resistance, and a fort erected 
 at Niagara. The Senecas and the Onondagas in their turn 
 made a descent upon the fort ; and peace was finally proposed, 
 through the mediation of Dongan, on condition of the ran- 
 som of the French prisoners, the restoration of the spoils taken 
 from the Senecas, and the destruction of the fort. These prop- 
 ositions having been rejected, the Iroquois flew to arms, and 
 twelve hundred warriors immediately started for Montreal. 
 This display of energy on the part of the tribes secured the ac- 
 ceptance of the terms proposed, and the abandonment by the 
 French of the entire region south of the Great Lakes. 
 
 11. Governor Dongan, in the mean time, having be- 
 come obnoxious to the English monarch by his undis- 
 guised efforts in favor of the Protestant interests of the prov- 
 ince against the intolerant policy of the King, was recalled, and 
 Fr.\xcis Nicholson, the deputy of Sir Edmund Andros, who 
 
 F.iilure of De la Barre. — Denonville. — Lamliorville's treachery. — Fort 
 at Niagara. — Mediation of Donpan. — Abandonment of the Iroquois country 
 by the French. — Recall of Dongan and appointment of Nicholson. 
 
44 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 had been commissioned as Governor both of New England and 
 of New York, assumed, in August, 1688, the temporary charge 
 of the government. 
 
 12. Intelligence was, however, soon received of the 
 abdication of James II. and the succession to the Eng- 
 lish throne of William and jMary, the Prince and Princess of 
 Orange. Under these circumstances the authority of Nicholson 
 as the representative of the deposed king was questioned bj' a 
 large portion of the inhabitants of the city and province ; and 
 the respective adherents of the late and present sovereigns, 
 stimulated by tlieir religious dissensions and their political 
 views, ranged themselves into parties known as democratic and 
 aristocratic. 
 
 13. On the one hand it was contended that the change of 
 government in England in no respect affected the existing con- 
 dition of affairs in the province, and that the commission to 
 Andros by James, and the delegation of his power to Nicholson, 
 remained unrevoked, and in full force, until the pleasure of the 
 new monarchs should be known. On the other hand it was 
 maintained that the entire government, including that of the 
 colonies, was overthrown by the revolution ; and that, as no in- 
 dividual was invested with authority in the province, the power 
 reverted to the people, who might designate the proper persons 
 for its exercise until the will of the sovereigns should be ex- 
 pressed. 
 
 14. Among the principal adherents to the former of these 
 views were the Governor himself and most of the wealthy and 
 aristocratic of the citizens, including Van Cortlandt, the Mayor, 
 Nicholas Bayard, commander of the city militia, Frederick 
 Philipse and others of the municipal authorities, and members 
 of the Council ; while the great mass of the people, including 
 the officers and members of the five train-bands, under the 
 command of Colonel Bayard, were enthusiastic advocates of 
 democratic opinions. These views were also countenanced by 
 the inhabitants of Long Island, who deposed their magistrates, 
 chose others in their stead, and despatched a large body of 
 militia to New York to seize the fort. 
 
 Revolution of 1689. — Organization of parlies. — State of parties. 
 
ENGLISH GOVERNMENT. 45 
 
 15. The popular party -n-as headed by Jacob Leisler, senior 
 captain of the city train-bands, and one of the oldest and 
 wealthiest of the inhabitants, a zealous opponent of the Catholic 
 faith, and a man of great energy and determination of charac- 
 ter. At first he declined countenancing the attempt to gain 
 possession of the fort, where the public funds were deposited ; 
 but this enterprise having been achieved without resistance, he 
 repaired thither with forty-seven men, and was cordially wel- 
 comed by the citizens as their leader. Nicholson in the mean 
 while bad returned to England. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Admixistbation op Jacob Leislek and Goveknobs Sloughter 
 
 AND FlETCHEK. 
 
 1. Leisler, on entering upon his assumed powers as cap- 
 tain of the fort in behalf of the new sovereigns, proceed- 
 ed at once to strengthen its defences by the erection of a battery 
 of six guns beyond its walls. This was the origin of the pub- 
 lic park since known as the " Battery." In the absence of the 
 Governor, a Committee of Safety, chosen by the citizens, in- 
 vested Leisler with the command of the city and province, while 
 the Mayor and other official dignitaries retired to Albany. 
 
 2. In November, Milborne, the son-in-law and private secre- 
 tary of the new commander, was despatched to Albany with an 
 armed force, to secure the recognition of his authority in the 
 northern provinces, as well as to protect them, in the event of 
 such recognition, from the threatened assaults of the Indians in 
 their neighborhood. This enterprise was, however, fruitless, as 
 these provinces declined to sanction his usurpation of power. 
 
 3. A despatch from the Prince of Orange was received in 
 December, at the fort, directed to the late Governor, or, in his 
 absence, to such person as might be in charge of the government, 
 empowering him to take the chief command of the province. 
 
 J.icob Leisler. — The fort and battery. — Committee of Safety. — Op- 
 position in tlio northern portion of the province. — Recognition of the Leisler 
 govpt-nment liy William and Mary. 
 
46 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 Under this authority Leisler proceeded to the formal organiza- 
 tion of the executive department, dissolved the Committee of 
 Safety, appointed a council of advisers, and assumed the entire 
 civil and military command of the city and province. 
 
 4. In February, 1690, during the war between the 
 English and the French, known in history as " King 
 
 William's War," a party of some three hundred French and 
 Indians attacked and burned the city of Schenectady on the 
 Mohawk, killed sixty of the inhabitants, who were aroused at 
 midnight from their slumbers, and took thirty prisoners. The 
 imminence of the peril from these deadly onslaughts of their 
 savage enemies induced the speedy recognition, by the northern 
 provinces, of the authority of Leisler, who with their assistance 
 engaged with great vigor in the expeditions against the French 
 and Indians. He organized and fitted out the first man-of-war 
 fleet ever despatched from the port of New York, and actively 
 co-operated with the authorities of Massachusetts and Connecti- 
 cut in an unsuccessful effort for the reduction of Montreal and 
 Quebec. 
 
 5. At the commencement of the ensuing year Kich- 
 1691. . 
 
 ard Ingoldsby arrived from England with intelligence of 
 
 the appointment of Colonel Henry Sloughter as Governor, and, 
 without producing any credentials of authority, demanded the 
 surrender of the fort, which was refused by Leisler, who, how- 
 ever, expressed his readiness to yield the government to Sloughter 
 on his arrival. This event occurred in March, and Leisler im- 
 mediately sent messengers to him for orders. These messengers 
 were detained, and Ingoldsby was despatched to the fort with 
 verbal directions for its surrender, which at first were disre- 
 garded, but on the succeeding day complied with by Leisler, 
 who, with Milbome and others, were immediately arrested, and 
 imprisoned, and the two former tried, convicted, and condemned 
 to suffer death iinder a charge of treason. 
 
 6. Governor Sloughter long hesitated to enforce this sentence 
 by issuing his warrant for its execution, chiefly on the ground 
 
 Formal assumption of the administration. — Burning of Schenectady. — 
 Naval expedition against Quebec and Montreal. — Arrival of Injroldsby. 
 
 — Governor Sloughter. — Refusal of Leisler to surrender the government. 
 
 — Arrest of Leisler and .Milbome. 
 
LEISLER, SLOUGHTER, AND FLETCHER. 47 
 
 of its manifest injustice, and the absence of a fair and impartial 
 trial. When, however, all attempts to procure his signature 
 had proved fruitless, the enemies of Leisler and Milborne tooli 
 advantage of a feast to which the Governor was invited in May, 
 to obtain his consent when under the influence of wine, and 
 before his recovery from intoxication the prisoners were exe- 
 cuted, 
 
 7. In June the treaties between the Iroquois and the inhabi- 
 tants of the province were renewed at a council held with the 
 chiefs of the confederated tribes at Albany ; a popular Assembly 
 was convened by the Governor, and a liberal constitution formed 
 under his sanction and approval. On the 2d of August, the life 
 and administration of Sloughter were ignominiously brought 
 to a sudden close by a severe attacli of illness induced by in- 
 temperance. 
 
 8. He was succeeded by Benjamin Fletcher, a man 
 
 . . . 1692 
 
 of moderate abilities, strong passions, and aristocratic 
 tendencies, averse to religious toleration, and opposed to all 
 popular concessions. He, however, prudently listened to the 
 counsels of Major Schuyler, of Albany, in reference to his treat- 
 ment of the Indian diihculties ; and under the leadership of 
 that gallant and intrepid officer the English and their faithful 
 allies of the Five Nations sig-nally defeated the French in the 
 vicinity of Lake Champlain and drove them beyond the St. 
 Lawrence. 
 
 9. In 1693 the first printing-press was established in 
 the city by William Bradford of Philadelphia, who was 
 employed by the city government to print the corporation laws. 
 A few years subsequently, as will hereafter be seen, he estab- 
 lished the pioneer newspaper of the city, an enterprise which 
 proved eminently successful. 
 
 10. Governor Fletcher next addressed himself to a vigorous 
 effort for the introduction into the province and city of the Eng- 
 lish Church and the English language. Strange as it may seem, 
 the majority of the inhabitants still spoke the Dutch language. 
 
 Trial and execurion. — Treaties with the Iroquois. — Formation of a lib- 
 eral constitution. — Death of Sloufrliter. — Accession of Benjamin Fletcher. 
 Defeat of the French. — William Bradford establishes the first printing- 
 press. 
 
48 THIRD PEVaOD. 
 
 and regarded the Dutch Church as the established Church of the 
 province. They were accordingly naturally averse to any change 
 in these I'espects. 
 
 11. The Governor, however, succeeded in procuring from the 
 Assembly, in September, 1G93, an act, the provisions of which, 
 though admitting of a more liberal construction, were inter- 
 preted bj- him as authority for the recognition of the Protestant 
 Episcopal instead of the Dutch Church as the establishment. 
 Under this act Trinity Church was erected and organized in 
 169G, and opened for worship in February of the ensuing year. 
 12. In June, 1696, Count Frontenac, then Governor- 
 General of Canada, assembled an army near Montreal for 
 an expedition against the Iroquois, whose animosity against the 
 French had been uniformly displayed since the earliest settlement 
 of the province. His army was composed of the regular troops 
 and such of the Indian tribes as were allies of the French and 
 hereditary enemies of the Iroqviois. With these forces he as- 
 cended the St. Lawrence, coasted the eastern waters of Lake 
 Ontario, ascended the Oswego River, and encamped upon the 
 borders of Onondaga Lake, whence he penetrated into the wil- 
 derness in search of his enemies. 
 
 13. Finding their principal village deserted, and discovering 
 no trace of their footsteps, he retraced his march, only to find 
 that his path had been waylaid by his subtle foes, who continued 
 
 to harass his progress until he had finally crossed their 
 territories. In the following year the war between Eng- 
 land and France was terminated by the peace of Ryswick. 
 
 14. At about this period an organized system of privateering 
 on the high seas between Europe and America prevailed exten- 
 sively, and was even believed to be connived at and encouraged 
 by the European governments for the annoyance of the com- 
 merce of their enemies. The American coasts suffered severely 
 from these depredations, which soon assumed the form of piracy 
 with all its attendant horrors. The merchant-vessels of New 
 York were destroyed within sight of the harbor itself, and ships 
 wore boldly seized while lying at anchor near the wharves. 
 
 Church controversy. — Trinity Church. — Invasion of Frontenac. — 
 Termination ot Kinjr Willi.im's War. — Piratical depredations. 
 
ENGLISH GOVERNMENT. 49 
 
 15. Repeated and pressing complaints were made to the pro- 
 vincial and municipal authorities, and the suppression of this 
 iniquitous traffic was loudly demanded. But the provincial and 
 municipal authorities were themselves suspected of participating 
 directlj' or indirectly in the profits of these buccaneering expedi- 
 tions ; and among others the Governor himself was seriously 
 implicated. The English Government found itself compelled to 
 resort to vigorous measures for the suppression of these flagrant 
 abuses; and in 1695 Fletcher was recalled, and Earl Bella- 
 mont, an Irish peer, appointed in his stead, with instructions to 
 rid the seas of their piratical occupants. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Earl op Bellamost, Lord Corneurt, and Lieutenant-Governor 
 
 Ingoldsby. 
 
 1. It was not until 1698, that the Earl of Bellamont, 
 who was also subsequently commissioned as Governor of 
 Massachusetts, and was distinguished for capacity and integrity, 
 assumed his position as the successor of Fletcher. A stock 
 company for the suppression of piracy was organized in Eng- 
 land under the direct patronage of the King and many of the 
 nobility, and an armed vessel fitted out for this purpose and 
 placed under the command of the celebrated Captain William 
 KiDD, one of the boldest and most successful ship-masters of 
 New York. 
 
 2. This vessel, in April, 1696, sailed from Plymouth, England, 
 and, after recruiting at New York, proceeded on its course to 
 the East Indies and Africa. The commander, however, finding 
 his crew favorable to such an enterprise, abandoning his origi- 
 nal undertaking, entered upon a bold and daring career of piracy 
 along the coasts of Malabar and Madagascar, returning to New 
 York in 1698 with an immense booty, large portions of which 
 were concealed on the eastern shores of Long Island. 
 
 3. He then proceeded openly to Boston, where he was 
 
 Fletcher recalled. — Appointment of Earl Bellamont. — Earl of Bella- 
 mont. — Captain KifUl. 
 4 
 
50 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 arrested, by the orders of the Governor, on a charge of piracy 
 and murder, and transported to England for trial, convicted and 
 executed in 1701. His treasures, so far as discovered, were 
 secured by Bellamont, who was himself suspected, although with- 
 out appai'ent cause, of a secret participation in his nefarious 
 enterprises. 
 
 4. Lord Bellamont on his arrival attached himself at 
 
 1699 
 
 once to the democratic or Leislerian party, with whom he 
 was a great favorite, having interested himself in England in 
 the reversal of the attainder against Leisler. On the 18th of 
 May, 1699, a new Assembly was convened, strongly democratic 
 in its composition, which, after receiving assurances of his fa- 
 vorable disposition, voted him a revenue for six years, and passed 
 vigorous acts for the suppression of piracy, and for a general 
 indemnity to State offenders. Under the latter act the fami- 
 lies of Leisler and Milborne were reinstated in their possessions. 
 Their remains were also disinterred with great ceremony and 
 deposited in the Dutch church in Garden Street, attended by an 
 immense concourse of people, including the Governor himself. 
 
 5. On the death of Bellamont, which occurred soon after, 
 Lieutenant-Governor Naufan temporarily succeeded to his au- 
 thority. Colonel Bayard, the inveterate enemy and persecutor 
 of Leisler, and the author of the act under which he was con- 
 demned and executed, was himself arrested, tried, and convicted 
 for a similar offence in vilifying the administration of Nanfan, 
 inciting the soldiers to rebellion, and other treasonable acts. He, 
 with John Hutchins, another offender, was sentenced to death, 
 but reprieved by the Governor until the King's pleasure should 
 be known. On the an'ival of Cornbury, however, the newly 
 appointed Governor, he was released, the Leislerian party dis- 
 countenanced, and their opponents taken into favor. 
 
 6. Edward Hyde, subsequently created Lord Corn- 
 BURY, assumed in Maj', 1702, the duties of Governor of 
 the combined provinces of New York and New Jersej', the lat- 
 ter having been added to his jurisdiction by surrender of the 
 
 Political views of Bellamont. — Proceedings of the A.ssomblj'. — Reversal 
 of attaindoi-s of Leisler and Milborne. — Reinterment of their remains. — 
 Death of Bellamont. — Lieutenant-Governor Naufan. — Trial and conviction 
 of Bayard. — Arrival of Cornbury- 
 
BELLAMONT, CORNBURY, AND INGOLDSBY. 51 
 
 patent of the proprietors. A revenue of seven years was voted 
 him, his salary doubled, and the expenses of his voyage re- 
 imbursed by the Assembly, -which was devoted to his interests. 
 A public dinner was given him, and the freedom of the city 
 formally bestowed in a gold box. The members of his suite, the 
 soldiers of the garrison, and all citizens nnable to purchase their 
 freedom, were also made freemen, with the rights of suffrage, of 
 trade, and of holding office. 
 
 7. The corporation of the city, having resolved upon the es- 
 tablishment of a grammar-school, in the absence of any suit- 
 ably qualified teacher in New York directed a petition to 
 be forwarded to the Bishop of London, entreating him to for- 
 ward them a native-bom English teacher, of good learning, 
 pious life and conversation, and good temper. Lord Cornbury's 
 influence in the matter was urgently but ineflfectually requested. 
 It was not until 1 705 that the school was finally established 
 and Andrew Clarke appointed master. 
 
 8. The administration of Lord Combury was chiefly distin- 
 guished for its intolerance, licentiousness, dishonesty, and mis- 
 rule. He engaged, in direct opposition to his instructions from 
 the Queen, in a sj-stematic persecution of all religious denomi- 
 nations dissenting from the Church of England, plundered 
 the public treasury, involved himself in private debts, and 
 opposed every effort on the part of the representatives of the 
 people for the security of their rights and the growth of free 
 institutions. He was finally, in 1708, recalled, through 
 
 the pressure of popular sentiment, and cast into prison by 
 his creditors, where he remained until released by the accession 
 of his peerage, on the death of his father. John Lord Lovelace 
 was appointed his successor, but retained the office a little more 
 than a year, when he died, leaving the government in the hands 
 of Lieutenant-Governor Ingoldsby. 
 
 9. In 1709, during Queen Anne's War, a military and 
 naval force of eighteen hundred men was fitted out in 
 
 the combined colonies of New York and New Jersey, to proceed 
 against Montreal by way of Lake Champlain. The expedition 
 
 Honor to Lord Cornbury. — Establishment of a grammar-school. — Char- 
 acter of Cornbury. — Lord Lovelace. — Richard Ingoldsby. — Queen Anne's 
 War. 
 
52 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 was, however, after proceeding as far as Wood Creek, aban- 
 doned, in consequence of the absence of effective co-operation 
 on the part of England, and mismanagement on that of In- 
 goldsby, who was accordingly removed. In 1711 an- 
 other expedition of four thousand men was organized 
 in these two provinces, in conjunction with Connecticut, to co- 
 operate with an English fleet under the command of Sir Hoven- 
 den Walker in an attack upon Canada, which also proved a 
 failure, entailing upon the provinces, however, a heavy burden 
 of debt, and seriously embarrassing their resources for several 
 vears. 
 
 CHAPTEK V. 
 EoBERT Hunter, William Burnet, and John Montgomerie. 
 
 1. Early in the summer of 1710 Robert Hunter arrived 
 in the province with a commission as Governor, bringing 
 over with him three thousand Germans, natives of the 
 
 Palatinate, driven from their homes by the persecution of Louis 
 XIV. of France. Several of their number took up their abode 
 in 2sew York City, where they erected a Lutheran church ; 
 others settled upon Livingston's Manor on the Hudson, on the 
 tract now known as the German Flatts ; but the greater part 
 found peitnanent homes in Pennsylvania, where their descend- 
 ants still reside. 
 
 2. The new Governor was a man of superior abilities and ex- 
 cellent character ; but, conceiving himself bound by his instruc- 
 tions to support the claims of the Crown, and repress the 
 growing spirit of insubordination in the province, he at once 
 attached himself to the aristocratic party, and strengthened its 
 influence by every means in his power. His Council was selected 
 from the ablest, wealthiest, and most influential men of the 
 colony. He secured the warm support of Lewis Morris, one of 
 the greatest landholders in the combined provinces of New 
 York and New Jersey, the son of Richard Morris, an officer in 
 
 Expeditions agrainst Caiiarla. — Arrival of Governor Hunter. — German 
 immisrr.nnfs. — Character of Hunter. — His energetic administration. — 
 Lewis Jlorris. 
 
ENGLISH GOVERNMENT. 53 
 
 Cromwell's army, who had emigrated to America and pur- 
 chased a manor ten miles square, in the neighborhood of Har- 
 lem, to which he gave the name of ]\Ion-isania, and where hia 
 son now resided. 
 
 3. The unsuccessful expedition for the conquest of 
 Canada, in which the Governor, with the sanction of '^^^~'^- 
 his Council and the Provincial Assemblies, entered with great 
 zeal and enthusiasm, produced a discouraging effect upon his sub- 
 sequent measures, and seriously impaired his influence with the 
 people. His request for a permanent appropriation for the sup- 
 port of the government was met by a decided and persistent 
 refusal of the Assembly, which could only be prevailed upon to 
 furnish supplies for a single year. The Indian tribes had be- 
 come distrustful and unreliable ; and a rumored insurrection of 
 the negroes had created a riotous panic in the city, resulting in 
 the firing of several buildings, the death of many white citizens, 
 and the arrest and execution of nineteen of the negroes. 
 
 4. The war between England and France having been 
 terminated by the treaty of Utrecht, the contest be- '^^' 
 tween the Governor and the Assembly on the question of sup- 
 plies was again renewed, and after a protracted struggle a gov- 
 ernment revenue was secured, independent of the people, for 
 the term of three yeai-s. A Court of Chancery was established 
 and confirmed. Lewis Morris was appointed Chief-Justice of the 
 province, and taxes on British imports and tonnage duties on for- 
 eign vessels were imposed. In 1719 failing health com- 
 pelled the Governor to return to England, leaving the 
 government in the hands of Peter Schuyler, the eldest mem- 
 ber of the Council. 
 
 5. During the brief period which elapsed before the 
 arrival of Governor Hunter's successor the affairs of the 
 province were successfully administered by Schuyler, whose long 
 familiarity with public affairs, and especially the high regard in 
 which he was held by the Indian tribes, enabled him to carry 
 on the government to the general acceptation of the people. 
 
 Expedition airainst Canada. — Effect of its failure. — Contest between 
 the Governor and the Assembly. — Court of Chancery. — Clael' Jnstic-e. — 
 Taxes on imports and tonnage duties. — Return of Governor Hunter to 
 England. — Peter Schuyler. 
 
64 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 V 
 
 He succeeded in completely restoring the relations of amity and 
 concord between the Iroquois and the English, which had pre- 
 viously been seriously interrupted. 
 
 6. "William Burnet, son of the celebrated Bishop Burnet of 
 England, arrived ou the 17th of September, 1720, as Governor 
 of the two provinces, and immediately entered upon his duties. 
 He was a man of fine talents, popular in his manners, and frank 
 and upright in all his dealings. The Assembly convened five 
 years previously was retained in oflace, and signalized his ac- 
 cession and complaisance by voting him a revenue for the ensu- 
 ing five years. He took into his counsels, such men as Lewis 
 Morris, Cadwallader Golden, Peter Schuyler, Gerardus Beekman, 
 Abraham De Peyster, and William Smith, through whose influ- 
 ence he succeeded in gaining, and for a considerable period re- 
 taining, the public confidence. 
 
 7. To counteract the eflTorts which the French were 
 
 1722. 
 
 secretly making through their agents — the Jesuits, mis- 
 sionaries, and others — to secure a monopoly of the Indian trade 
 along the northern and western frontiers. Governor Burnet, in 
 1722, with the sanction of the Assembly, commenced the erec- 
 tion of a trading-post at Oswego, with the design of following it 
 up with a line of similar posts extending from the great north- 
 ern lakes to the mouth of the Mississippi. A convention of 
 deputies from the several provinces assembled at Albany, and 
 forwarded to the King a memorial strongly urging the adoption 
 of this policy, which, however, failed to receive the royal assent, 
 and was reluctantly abandoned. 
 
 8. A powerful opposition had in the mean time sprung 
 up against his administration, originating in the disaf- 
 fection of a large party of merchants and others interested in 
 the French trading policy ; and the Assembly, imbued with this 
 spirit, had withdrawn its confidence from its former favorite, 
 ,.„- ^'^^ refused the renewal of supplies except for a period of 
 
 three years. The Governor in 1727 dissolved this body ; 
 
 Rencw.il of friendly relations with the Indi.m tribes. — Arrival of Gov- 
 ernor Burnet. — His character and popularity. — French missionaries and 
 traders. — Trading-post at Oswego. — Convention of delegates at Albany. 
 — Memorial to the Kinp. — Abandonment of the undertaking. — Opposi- 
 tion to the Governor in the Assembly. 
 
HUyTER, BURSET, MONTGOMERIE. 55 
 
 but its successor proved still more unyielding and refrac- 
 tor}', and was in its turn dissolved. Through the influence of 
 his persevering enemies Burnet was transferred, on the accession 
 of George II., to the government of Massachusetts, and the law- 
 prohibiting the French trade repealed. 
 
 9. During this administration the first public newspa- 
 
 ^ 1729 
 
 per was established in the city of New York, by William 
 Bradford, the government printer, under the title of the New 
 York Gazette. It was published weekly, at first on a half-sheet, 
 increased during the following year to four pages. 
 
 10. The successor of Governor Burnet, John Mont- 
 
 1728 — 31 
 
 gomerie, entered upon his duties on the 15th of April, 
 1 728, as Governor and Chancellor of New York and New Jersey. 
 He was cordially welcomed by the citizens, presented with the 
 freedom of the city in a gold box, and by the Assembly with a 
 revenue for five years. The principal event of his brief ad- 
 ministration was the grant, in 1730, of a new city charter. 
 He died on the 1st of July, 1731, and was succeeded by Rip 
 Van Dam, the eldest member of the Council, who discharged 
 the duties of the office for thirteen months, when Colonel Wil- 
 liam Cosby, the new Governor, arrived. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Adjiimstration op Governor Cosbt. — Trial op Zenoer. 
 
 1732. 
 
 1. Cosby's administration was tumultuous, despotic, 
 and exceedingly obnoxious to the people. His arbitrary 
 and avaricious disposition kept him in continual collision with 
 the various factions into which the city and province were 
 divided ; and his arrival at a period when liberal principles were 
 i-apidly attaining a decided ascendency, through the agency of 
 the press and public discussion, plunged him at once into the 
 vortex of popular dissension, and prepared the way for those 
 decisive events which culminated in the American Revolution. 
 
 Transfer of Burnet to Massachusetts. — Repeal of the Prohibitory Act. 
 — Establishment of the first newspaper. — Governor Montgomerie. — Rip 
 Van Dam. — William Cosby. 
 
56 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 2. His first act was the production of a royal order 
 directing an equal division with himself of the salary 
 of his immediate predecessor, "Van Dam, during the brief period 
 of his temporary administration. The latter expressed his 
 assent to this arrangement, on condition that Cosby should 
 reciprocate b}' an equal participation of the perquisites received 
 by him since his appointment and previous to his assumption 
 of office. In this demand he was supported by the popular 
 voice, which refused to recognize the justice of heaping pecu- 
 niary emoluments upon favored foreigners, while depriving 
 native-bom officers of their vested riglits. 
 
 3. Legal proceedings were accordingly instituted in the Su- 
 preme Court of the province by Cosby against Van Dam for the 
 recovery of the amount claimed. As the Governor himself 
 was, by virtue of his office, chancellor, and two of the other 
 judges, De Lancey and Philipse, his personal friends, exceptions 
 were taken by the counsel for the defence against the jurisdic- 
 tion of the court. A majority of the jvidges, however, against 
 Chief-Justice Morris, overruled the exceptions, and directed the 
 payment to Cosby of half of Van Dam's salary. Morris was 
 promptly removed from office, and Do Lancey appointed in his 
 place, without even the formality of consulting the Council. 
 
 4. These high-handed and arbitrary proceedings of the 
 Governor roused the public indignation to a high pitch. 
 The popular discontent at first vented itself in squibs, lam- 
 poons, and satirical ballads, levelled against the aristocracy, 
 which speedily culminated in systematic attacks, through the 
 columns of the New York Weekly Journal, edited by John Peter 
 Zenger — against the Governor, Council, Assembly, and Court, 
 arraigning them in the strongest terms for a violation of the 
 liberties, rights, and privileges of the people, for the tyran- 
 nical assumption of arbitrary and despotic power, and for the 
 perversion of their official stations to purposes of personal re- 
 sentment and private emolument. 
 
 5. The Coimcil in November, 1734, ordered these papers to 
 be burnt by the hands of the common hangman, and a few day 
 
 Controversy with Van Dam. — Proccodinfrs in court. — Arbitrary meas- 
 ures of Cosby. — Popular discontent. — John Peter Zenger. 
 
EX GUSH GOVERNMENT. 57 
 
 afterwards Zenger was arrested and imprisoned on a criminal 
 charge for publishing a seditious libel against the government. 
 The grand jury having refused to find a bill of indictment for 
 this offence, an information was, in Januarj', 1 735, filed against 
 the prisoner by the Attorney-General, and after a protracted 
 confinement he was brought up for trial on the 4th of August, 
 1735. His friends in the mean time, and an association 
 known as the "Sons of Liberty" for the protection and 
 advocacy of popular rights, had secured the services of the vener- 
 able Andrew Hamilton, of Philadelphia, then eighty years of age, 
 but in full possession of all his faculties, as counsel for the defence. 
 
 6. This remarkable trial took place in the City Hall, before 
 the judges of the Supreme Court, James De Lancey presiding 
 as Chief Justice, Philipse as Judge, and Bradley as Attorney- 
 General. The court-room was crowded to excess by an anxious 
 and excited auditory, and the unexpected appearance of the 
 venerable and eloquent counsel for the prisoner added intense 
 interest to the scene. The plea of " Not guilty " having been 
 interposed, and a jury impanelled, the publication of the alleged 
 libel was boldly admitted, and full proof of its justification 
 offered. The Attorney-General, however, resisted the introduc- 
 tion of this proof, on the ground that in a criminal proceeding 
 for the publication of libellous matter the truth of the facts 
 alleged was inadmissible in evidence. This objection was sus- 
 tained by the Court. 
 
 7. Hamilton then proceeded to address the jury, and in an 
 eloquent and brilliant speech confuted the assumption of the 
 Court that " the greater the truth, the greater was the libel " ; 
 insisted that the jury were themselves the judges, not only of 
 the facts, but of the law ; that it was their peculiar province 
 to pass upon all the circumstances and bearings of the alleged 
 offence, and to determine for themselves its innocence or guilt ; 
 that they were the sworn protectors of the rights, liberties, and 
 privileges of their fellow-citizens, violated in this instance by a 
 most outrageous and vindictive series of persecutions ; that it was 
 for them to interpose between the tyrannical and arbitrary viola- 
 tions of law and justice and their intended victim ; to assert 
 
 Prosecution for libel. — Trial of Zenger. 
 
58 TUIRD PERIOD. 
 
 and uphold the freedom of speech and of the press, and to vin- 
 dicate by their verdict the supremacy of the people over their 
 ■wanton and powerful oppressors. 
 
 8. Notwithstanding the reiterated charge of the Court that 
 they were judges of the facts only put in issue, and not of the 
 conclusions of law upon those facts ; that the truth of the 
 alleged libel was a matter wholly beyond their jurisdiction ; 
 and that its publication having been admitted, and all evidence 
 of the facts excluded, it was their imperative duty to convict 
 the prisoner, the jury, after a brief deliberation, unanimously 
 returned a verdict of " Not guilty." Amid the irrepressible ap- 
 plause of the vast crowd of spectators Hamilton was borne in 
 triumph from the hall, and conducted to a splendid entertain- 
 ment prepared for his reception. A public dinner was next day 
 given him by the citizens, the freedom of the city presented by 
 the corporation, and his departure signalized by the highest and 
 most distinguished honors. 
 
 9. Thus terminated this exciting and important trial by the 
 complete triumph of the popular cause, — the vindication of the 
 right of the public press to pass upon the conduct of the public 
 authorities, and to criticise, with entire freedom, their official 
 proceedings, — and the assertion of the unalterable determination 
 of the people to protect their champions and the defenders of 
 their rights against all the assaults of power, and the machina- 
 tions of tyranny and oppression. The organization effected for 
 the successful accomplishment of these great objects was per- 
 petuated and strengthened for the attainment at no distant 
 period of a still more signal and important triumph. 
 
 10. Cosby, however, notwithstanding the severe repulse 
 he had received through the acquittal of Zenger, still 
 persisted with unyielding pertinacity in his arbitrary and rapa- 
 cious proceedings. He directed a resurs'ey of the grants and 
 patents of land in the province with the view of adding to his 
 revenues by the fees, and destroyed several important documents 
 intrusted to him for this purpose. His death on the 10th of 
 March, 1736, put an end to his further proceedings ; not, how- 
 ever, until he had once more signalized his inveterate hostility 
 
 Acquittal of Zenger. — Oppressive proceedings of Cosby. 
 
CLARKE, CLINTON, OSBORNE, ETC. ftc, 
 
 to the people by the suspension, through his Council, of his 
 former antagonist, Rip Van Dam, who, as the oldest member of 
 the Council, -n-ould have been entitled to the administration on 
 his decease. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Administration op Geokge Clarke. — Negro Plot. — Admiral 
 
 Clinton. — Sir Danvers Osborne. — James De Lancey. Sir 
 
 Charles Habdy. 
 
 1. George Clarke, the next in succession, was in- 
 ducted into office by the Council, and on the 14th of ^^^^' 
 October subsequently received a commission from England em- 
 powering him to act as Lieutenant-Governor until the ai-rival 
 of Cosby's successor. He endeavored to ingratiate himself with 
 both the aristocratic and the popular party. The Assembly was 
 dissolved, and a new one called, which met in the ensuing sum- 
 mer, but could not be prevailed upon to grant a revenue for a 
 longer period than one year. This precedent was thereafter 
 steadily acted upon by the assemblies subsequently convened. 
 The only act of importance passed during the session was one 
 disfranchising the Jews residing in the province. 
 
 2. At this period New York City contained about 
 ten thousand inhabitants, nearly one fifth of whom were 
 negro slaves. Both the Dutch and English governments had sys- 
 tematically encouraged their importation into the colony, and the 
 principal merchants of the city had engaged in the traffic as a 
 prominent branch of trade and source of profit. The most 
 striugent regulations for their control and subordination were 
 enacted, and every transgression was severely punished ; but 
 their great number, thievish propensities, and occasional acts of 
 insubordination, rendered the community sensitively alive to the 
 possible dangers which might arise from their presence. This 
 pervading feeling of insecurity required only a slight provocation 
 to ripen into a general panic. 
 
 rnsliy's do.ith. — Kxclusion of Viu\ Dam. — Georcc Clarke, Licutcnant- 
 Govpriior. — nirjsoliition of Assembly. — Disfranchisement of the Jews. — 
 Slavery in New York. 
 
60 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 3. A trifling robbery which occurred in March, 1741, in the 
 house of a merchant, and which was traced to some of the ne- 
 gi-oes, followed soon after by a series of incendiary fires in dif- 
 ferent qixarters of the city, created a general alarm, and so in- 
 flamed the public mind, that numerous an-ests were made, and 
 a searching investigation instituted by the authorities, which, 
 however, failed in discovering any reliable traces of the guilty 
 perpetrators. Heavy rewards were offered by the Common Coun- 
 cil for their arrest and conviction, together with a full pardon 
 to anj' of their number who would reveal his knowledge of the 
 conspiracy and denounce his associates. Many of the inhabi- 
 tants removed their goods from the city, and every effort was 
 made to obtain the faintest clew to the guilty authors of the 
 outrages. 
 
 4. The Supreme Court of the province was specially con- 
 vened for the investigation of the matter, and a grand-jury con- 
 sisting of the principal inhabitants of the city charged with its 
 consideration. Great numbers of witnesses were examined, and 
 on the testimony of a negro girl, Mary Burton, who had been 
 promised a full pardon, several of the negroes implicated by her 
 were arrested, and, notwithstanding their terrified efforts to se- 
 cure safety by criminating their innocent associates, were con- 
 victed and executed. 
 
 5. Other informers speedily appeared, and fresh victims to 
 the popular f\ny were immolated in great numbers and in quick 
 succession. The populace, maddened by excitement and thirst- 
 ing for revenge, stimulated the authorities in the prosecution of 
 their hasty inquiries, and even refused to permit any interfer- 
 ence on their part with the fate of the condemned, even when, 
 by a compliance with the terms of pardon, they had entitled 
 themselves to immunity. 
 
 6. The general fury and panic, unappeased by the wholesale 
 sacrifice of the negroes, soon extended to the white population. 
 John Ury, a reputed Catholic priest and schoolmaster, was de- 
 nounced by the girl Mary Burton, and notwithstanding his pro- 
 testations of innocence, and the absence of all rational proof of 
 guilt, was summarily condemned and executed. His arrest was 
 
 Ori<.'in of the negro plot. — Investigation \>y tlic authorities. — Public 
 informers. 
 
EXGLISH GUVERNMENT. 61 
 
 the signal for the implication of others of the whites ; and the 
 reign of terror -was fearfully inaugurated thronghoiit the city. 
 The prisons were rapidly filled with the miserable victims of the 
 popular delusion ; and so great was their number that infection 
 was averted only by the frequency of executions when pardons 
 could not be effected. 
 
 7. From the Uth of Hay to the 29th of August, the day of 
 the execution of Ury, one hundred and fifty-four negroes were 
 committed to prison, fom-teen of whom were bnrnt at the stake, 
 eighteen hanged, and seventy-one transported. During the 
 same period twenty-four whites were imprisoned, four of whom 
 were executed. The implication by Burton of some of the 
 principal inhabitants who were known to be innocent served to 
 sober down the popular excitement, and restore the community 
 to its wonted composure. The prisons were cleared, a day of 
 general thanksgiving proclaimed, and the ordinary channels of 
 business again resumed. 
 
 8. Upon the most candid and impartial survey of all the 
 facts, no substantial justification seems to be afforded for the 
 merciless persecution of the hapless victims of this terrible 
 period. Both informers and witnesses were of the lowest and 
 vilest character, their testimony vague and contradictory, and 
 their inducements to falsehood strong and powerful. Nothing 
 but the irrational panic pervading all classes could have attached 
 any serious weight to the incredible and inconsistent statements 
 of these frightened wretches, driven to perjury by the imminent 
 fear of death, and encouraged in their successful devices by the 
 applause of the terrified multitude. The whole fearful drama 
 seems but a repetition, on a somewhat smaller scale and hum- 
 bler sm-rounding, of the celebrated Titus Gates Plot ; and the 
 S(jle excuse for the harsh proceedings of the public authorities 
 consists in their inability in the midst of the prevailing panic 
 to discover the real authors of the crimes originally perpetrated. 
 
 9. In September, 1743, Lieutenant-Governor Clarke 
 was superseded by Admiral George Clinton, father of the 
 
 Sir Henry Clinton who commanded the British troops during the 
 subsequent Eevolution. He met with a favorable reception, 
 
 Reign of terror. — Number of tliR victims. — T^tid of (!iO c:;citcment — - 
 Summary of the evidence. — Admiral George Clinton. 
 5 
 
62 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 received the usual vote of supplies, coincided with the Assembly 
 in all its measures, — among which was one limiting its term 
 and that of its successors to a period of seven years, — and co- 
 operated with that body in fitting out an expedition for the con- 
 quest of Canada, in the -war then pending between France and 
 England. Ho soon, however, became involved in a collision be- 
 tween the two leading political factions headed by De Lancoy 
 and C'olden, which occasioned him no little vexation and embar- 
 rassment during the remainder of his term. 
 
 10. In 1748 he ineffectually urged upon the Assem- 
 bly an appropriation for the sxipport of the government 
 
 for five years, with the view of again rendering the executive 
 independent of that body. Soon afterwards he made himself 
 obnoxious to the popular party by refusing to sun-endor for trial 
 the captain of an English war-vessel which had fired upon a 
 colonial vessel, killing one of its passengers, for omission to 
 lower its flag in passing, as required by the regulations of the 
 home government. The persistent refusal of the Assembly to 
 comply with his reiterated demands for a permanent revenue, 
 and the powerful opposition ho encountered from all classes of 
 the people, finally induced him, after proroguing the refractory 
 Chamber, to tender his resignation and abandon the govern- 
 ment. 
 
 11. He was succeeded on the 7th of September, 1753, 
 by Sir Daxvers Osborne, with instructions for the main- 
 tenance of the royal prerogative, and the demand of a per- 
 manent revenue, to be disbursed solely by himself and his 
 Council. On assuming the government, the corporation of the 
 city presented him with an address of congratulation, at the 
 same time expressing the hope that he would be as averse to 
 countenancing, as they should be to pei-mitting, any infringe- 
 ment upon their civil or religious liberties. A magnificent 
 entertainment was given him bj"- the city, accompanied with the 
 strongest manifestations of popular regard. 
 
 12. A few days afterwards the Council was convened and the 
 Governor's instructions were laid before them. On being informed 
 ^)J them that the Assembly would miquestionably refuse obedi- 
 
 Dissen^ions with the Assembly. — Popular discontent. — Resignation. — 
 Sir Danvcrs Osborne. — His reception. — Proeeeilings of tlie Council. 
 
DE LANCEY AND HARDY. 63 
 
 ence to the royal commands, he appeared deeply dejected ; and 
 on the ensuing morning his body was found suspended by a 
 handkerchief from the garden-wall of his lodgings. He had 
 previously been subject to derangement, owing to domestic 
 losses, and had once before attempted his life. By his death 
 the government devolved upon Lieutenant-Governor James De 
 Laxcey, who, by his recent persistent and successful opposition 
 to the demands of the Crown, had rendered himself highly 
 popular. 
 
 1 3. A striking change had occurred in the relative position 
 of parties. The aristocratic faction, headed by De Lancey, Col- 
 den, Van Rensselaer, Philipse, Heathcote, and others, had now 
 become the popular leaders, while their former opponents had 
 ranged themselves under the roj'al banner. Hence the position 
 of the new Governor was one of peculiar difficulty. Compelled 
 by the instructions of his predecessor to carry out the policj' of 
 the Crown, he foimd himself at the same time pledged, as the 
 leader of the popular party, to a policy diametrically opposite. 
 While, therefore, he fulfilled the letter of his instructions by lay- 
 ing them before the Assemblj', he at the same time urged upon 
 the home government the propriety and necessity of concessions 
 to the popular will. 
 
 1-4. In September, 1755, Sir Charles Hardy arrived at 
 Kew York as Governor, and was received with the usual 
 honors. De Lancey resumed his seat as Chief-Justice ; but 
 Hardy, fully conscious of his own deficiencies in the new and un- 
 accustomed field of action which had been assigned him, aban- 
 doned all but its nominal duties to his predecessor, and by 
 his return to England and resumption of his post in the navy, 
 left the government again in his charge. 
 
 Suicide. — Accession of Lieutenant-Governor De Lincpy. — His policy and 
 its results. — Sir Charles Haid)-. — His abandonment of the government and 
 return to England. 
 
Ruins of Fort Ticonderoga. 
 
 FOURTH PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR TO THE 
 REVOLUTION. 
 
 1753. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Admisisthation- of Lteutenant-GoternorDe Lancet. — Campaigns 
 OF 1754, 1755, AND 1756. 
 
 1. After the capture of the Fortress of Louisburg, on Cape 
 Breton Island, then (1745) in possession of the French, 
 by the English fleet under Commodore Wai-ren, and the 
 combined colonial forces under William Pepperell, — a blow 
 rendered the more severe by the vast expense and great strength 
 of the works, — the French entered upon a course of vigorous 
 operations to concentrate and extend their power in America, in 
 opjjosition to the efforts of their hereditary enemies, the English, 
 
 Projiai-ntions of the Frcncli for opposing the extension of the British power 
 in America. 
 
THE FREyciI AND INDIAN WAR. 65 
 
 ■n-ho had alreadj' obtained so firm a footing. Having estab- 
 lished a number of trading-posts and missionary stations among 
 the Indian tribes occupying the depth of the wilderness along 
 the entire valley of the Mississippi most remote from the -n-hite 
 settlements, they prepared to assert their possessory claims by 
 such efficient measures as seemed best adapted to the accom- 
 plishment of this object. 
 
 2. They built a strong fleet of vessels at Kingston, on the 
 Canadian shore of Lake Ontario ; strengthened Fort Niagara, at 
 the confluence of the Niagara River with that lake; entered 
 into friendly negotiations with the Delaware tribe of Indians 
 on tlie east, and the Shawnees on the west of the Alleghany 
 Mountains; and erected a formidable chain of fortifications, 
 commanding the entire valley of the Mississippi and its tribu- 
 taries from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 3. The collision between the Ohio Company, claiming 
 an extensive tract of land on the Ohio River under the 
 English Government, and the French, who were engaged in 
 the erection of forts south of Lake Erie, caused the first mili- 
 tary services of George Washington to be put in requisition 
 b}' Governor Dinwiddle, of Virginia. St. Pierre, the com- 
 mander of the fort to which Washington was despatched, re- 
 fused to withdraw his troops from its occupation ; and in 1 754 
 an unsuccessful effort was made by the Ohio Company to 
 erect a fort on the present site of Pittsburg, at the junc- 
 tion of the Alleghany and Monongahela Rivers. The workmen 
 were driven from the ground by the French, who completed the 
 fort and gave it the name of Fort du Quesne. 
 
 4. Washington, at the head of a body of provincial troops from 
 Virginia, marched into the disputed territory, surprised and rotit- 
 ed an advance party of French sent to intercept his approach, and 
 after erecting a small fort, which he named Fort Necessity, and 
 being reinforced by additional troops from New York and the 
 Carolinas, proceeded with four hundred men on his route to Fort 
 du Quesne. Hearing, however, of the advance of a large body 
 of French and Indians, he returned to Fort Necessity, where he 
 
 ■W.ishinjrton's mission to St. Pierre. — Its result. — Establishment by the 
 French of Fort dii Quesne. 
 6 
 
6G FOURTH PERIOD. 
 
 was soon after attacked by a superior force, and compelled to 
 capitulate after a severe and obstinate resistance, with permis- 
 sion to retire unmolested to Virginia. 
 
 5. The English Ministry, in the mean time, aware of the 
 importance of the crisis, had forwarded instructions to their 
 colonies to secure, if possible, the continued friendship and 
 alliance of the Iroquois Indians, and to unite their efforts in the 
 common defence. In accordance with this recommendation a 
 convention of delegates from the respective colonies was held 
 in Albany in the summer of this year, Lieutenant-Governor 
 De Lancey presiding, a treaty with the Six Nations renewed, 
 and a plan of confederation, similar to that subsequently adopted 
 by the Continental Congress, submitted by the celebrated Dr. 
 Benjamin Franklin, of Pennsylvania, and adopted on the fourth 
 day of July. The colonial assemblies and the rei^resentatives 
 of the British Government refused, however, to ratify the ordi- 
 nance of the Convention ; and the conduct of the war was con- 
 fided to the English Parliament, with such aid as the colonies 
 might find themselves able to furnish. 
 
 6. In 1755, General Braddock was sent over as Com- 
 1755 
 
 mander-in-Chief ; and at a convention of the colonial 
 
 governors three expeditions were resolved upon : one against 
 Fort du Quesne, under Braddock himself; one against Niagara; 
 and a third against Crown Point, on the western shore of Lake 
 Champlain. The first was disastrous in the extreme, and the 
 troops engaged in it were saved from total destruction only by 
 the coolness and bravery of Washington. That against Crown 
 Point was intrusted to General Johnson, afterwards Sir Wil- 
 liam Johnson, a member of the Council of New York. 
 
 7. In July, 1755, about six thousand troops from New Eng- 
 land, New York, and New Jersey assembled, under the com- 
 mand of General Lyman, of Connecticut, at the head of boat 
 navigation on the Hudson, fifty miles north of Albany, where 
 a strong fortification, afterw^ards known as Fort Edward, was 
 erected. General Johnson, immediately on his arrival in August, 
 
 Attack on Fort Necessity, by the French and Indians, and its capitulation 
 by Washington. — Renewal of treaties with the Iroquois. — Convention at 
 Albany, and plfin of confederation of Dr. Franklin. — Events of 1755. — 
 General Johnson's campaign. — Fort Edward. 
 
OPERATIONS ON LAKE GEORGE. 67 
 
 Tvith the main body of the troops, marched to the head of 
 Lake George, where he established a camp preparatory to an 
 attack upon Crown Point, situated on a tongue of land on the 
 southern shore of Lake Champlain. 
 
 8. Baron Dieskau, the French commander, in the mean time, 
 with two thousand men, chiefly Canadians and Indians, was ap- 
 proaching from Montreal by way of Lake Champlain ; and, aban- 
 doning his first intention of attacking Fort Edward, marched 
 directh- to the English camp on Lake George. Colonel Wil- 
 liams was immediately despatched by Johnson, with a thousand 
 Massachusetts troops and two hundred Mohawks, under their 
 famous Sachem Hendricks, to intercept the French. After pro- 
 ceeding a few miles, however, the detachment fell into an am- 
 buscade ; both Williams and Hendricks were slain, and their 
 comrades fell back in good order upon the camp, hotly pur- 
 sued by the enemy. 
 
 9. Early in September, Dieskau advanced with his forces to 
 tlie English camp, where, intrenchments having been hastily 
 thrown up, he was received with a spirited fire of musketry and 
 artillery. The Canadian militia and Indians fled to the shelter 
 of the surrounding forests, and the approach of reinforcements 
 under General Lyman from Fort Edward, together with the loss 
 of their leader. Baron Dieskau, who was severely wounded, com- 
 pelled them to withdraw to the fortifications of Crown Point. 
 Johnson, after having erected a fort called William Henry on the 
 site of his camp, and strengthened Fort Edward, dispersed the 
 residue of his troops, and returned in October to Albany. For 
 his services in this campaign the King bestowed upon him the 
 order of knighthood, and presented him with a large sum of 
 money. 
 
 10. The expedition of Shirley against Niagara and Frontenac 
 was unsuccessful. The prevalence of heavy storms, sickness in 
 the camp, desertion of the Indians, and other casualties, pre- 
 vented any efficient action until the lateness of the season ren- 
 dered it advisable to relinquish the enterprise. Leaving a suffi- 
 
 Cnmp on Lake George. — Attack l\v Dieskau. — Willinm.s ami Ilomlrioks 
 slain, — Dicskau's attack upon the EnslLsh camp. — It< rciiiilsc. — Forts 
 Kdward and V/illiam Hcnrv. — Jolnison's promolion. — I'liiluic of tlu ex- 
 pedition against Niagara by Sliiiley. 
 
68 FOURTH PERIOD. 
 
 cient gaiTison at Oswego under Colonel Mercer, the remainder 
 of the troops were reconducted to Albany, and their commander 
 returned to Massachusetts. 
 
 11. The campaigTi of 1756, planned by a meeting of 
 the several colonial governoi-s at New York in December 
 preceding, comprised an attack upon Crown Point with ten 
 thousand men, Niagara with six thousand, Fort du Quesne 
 with three thousand, and Quebec and the other French settle- 
 ments in Canada with two thousand. Shirley was superseded 
 in his command, in the spring of 1756, by Lord Loudoun, Gov- 
 ernor of Virginia, with General Abercrombie as his lieutenant. 
 
 12. Early in June the latter arrived with General Webb and 
 several regiments of British troops. General Winslow, of Mas- 
 sachiisetts, was assigned to the command of the expedition 
 against Crown Point, and with a force of seven thousand men 
 awaited the arrival of Loudoun at Albany, where Abercrombie 
 was engaged in settling vexatious questions of rank between 
 the officers of the regular and provincial troops, and contro- 
 versies with the citizens growing out of the billeting of the sol- 
 diers upon them. Loudoun did not make his appearance until 
 the latter part of July ; and before preparations for the com- 
 mencement of the campaign could be completed, the advance of 
 the season and the successes of the French had rendered them 
 nugatory. 
 
 13. In the mean time an attack was made upon Oswego by a 
 body of French troops under De Lerj', who penetrated to the 
 fort at the Oneida portage, gained possession of it, and, destroy- 
 ing its stores, returned to Montreal with thirty prisoners. De 
 Yilliers, also, with eight hundred men, established a camp in 
 !May near the mouth of Sandy Creek, from whence he was en- 
 abled to intercept all supplies and reinforcements fgr the town. 
 Four of the Six Nations — the Onondagas, Oncidas, Cayugas, and 
 Mohawks — sent an embassy to Montreal with a declaration of 
 neutralitj' and a petition for protection, which met with a favor- 
 able response. 
 
 14. The Marqviis de Montcalm, the successor of Dieskau in 
 
 Campaign of 1756. — Arrival of Lord Loudoun, Abercrombie, and Webb. 
 
 — Dilatory proceetlingi;. — Ab.indonmcnt of tbe attack upon Crown Point. 
 
 — Attack upon Oswego. — Neutrality of a portion of the Iroquois tribes. 
 
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 69 
 
 the command of the French army, after strengthening the 
 defences of Fort Carillon at Ticonderoga, proceeded, early in 
 August, with three regiments from Quebec and a large force of 
 Canadians and Indians, to the attack of Fort Ontario, which was 
 in charge of Colonel Mercer, Shirley being in command of the 
 principal fort, Oswego, on the west bank of the river, nearly op- 
 posite. The fort was gallantly defended for several hours by its 
 garrison, when, their ammunition having been expended, they 
 spiked their guns and retreated to Fort Oswego. 
 
 15. Montcalm immediately occupied the height, and turned 
 such of the guns of the fort as were still serviceable upon the 
 remaining fortress. Colonel Mercer was shot down, and a 
 foi-midable breach made in the walls. On the succeeding day 
 (August 14), as Montcalm was making preparations for storming 
 the iutreuchments, the garrison, about sixteen hundred in num- 
 ber, capitulated. One hundred and twenty cannon, six vessels 
 of war, three hundred boats, three chests of money, and stores 
 of ammunition and provisions, with fourteen hundred prisoners, 
 fell into the power of the conquerors as the spoils of victory. 
 
 1 6. After demolishing the forts, Montcalm returned to Canada, 
 leaving the entire region of the Six Nations open to the incur- 
 sions of the French. A thousand of the regular troops were 
 billeted by Loudoun upon the citizens of New York, notwith- 
 standing the remonstrances of the authorities against this inva- 
 sion of their rights and privileges under the common law as 
 Englishmen. Overawed by the threats of Loudonn, a subscrip- 
 tion was raised by the magistrates, and the demand reluctantly 
 complied with. 
 
 Jlontcalm attacks Forts Ontario and Oswejjo. — Surrender of the gar- 
 rison. — Death of Mercer. — Quartering of troops in New York. 
 
70 FOURTH PERIOD. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Siege of Fort William Henry. — Capture of Ticonderoga, Crown 
 Point, ^STiagara, Fort Uu Quesse, Quebec, and Montreal. — 
 Governors Golden and Mosckton. 
 
 1. After an ineffectual effort on the part of Lord Loudoun 
 _ _ to capture Louisburg, Montcalm, towards the close of 
 
 Jul}', 1757, proceeded, with a force of about seven thou- 
 sand whites and two thousand negroes, to lay siege to Fort Wil- 
 liam Henry, then under the command of Colonel Monro, with 
 three thousand troops. General Webb was at Fort Edward 
 with four thousand men ; and with this combined force Colonel 
 Monro deemed his position impregnable. To the demand of 
 Montcalm, on the 4th of August, for surrender of the fort, he 
 returned a defiant answer, and the siege progressed. 
 
 2. An express was despatched by Monro to Webb for rein- 
 forcements, which was repeated during the ensuing six days, 
 without eliciting any action on his part other than an advice to 
 capitulate, which was intercepted by the French and forwarded 
 to ilonro. Under these discouraging circumstances, and having 
 exhausted his means of defence, that gallant officer sent a flag 
 of truce to Montcalm, with the view of negotiating terms of 
 surrender. 
 
 3. The French commander, after a council with the Indians, 
 consented to allow the English to depart from the fort with the 
 honors of war, — delivering up all their prisoners and leaving 
 all their military stores, with a pledge not to serve against the 
 French for eighteen months, — and to furnish an escort for 
 their departure. On the 9th of August this arrangement was 
 carried into effect, — the French took possession of the fort, and 
 the English retired to their intrenched camp. 
 
 4. The Indians, meanwhile, having procured from the Eng- 
 lish the means of intoxication, spent the night in feasting and 
 revelry, and when, on the ensuing morning, the English were 
 preparing for their march to Fort Edward, commenced an in- 
 
 Sici^e of Fort William Henry. — Treachery of Webb. — Neyotiaiiou for 
 a surrender. — Surrender of the fort. 
 
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 71 
 
 discriminate attack, plunder, and massacre. In spite of all the 
 efforts of Montcalm and the officers under his command, a. large 
 proportion of the defenceless troops were slain or taken captives, 
 and only about six hundred of the whole number succeeded, 
 after encountering the utmost peril, in reaching Fort Edward. 
 Four hundred were rescued by Montcalm from the French camp 
 and sent under a heavy escort to rejoin their comrades, and an 
 officer was despatched by him to ransom the captives. The fort 
 and its apijendages were destroyed. 
 
 5. The campaign of 1758 commenced under more 
 favorable auspices. William Pitt had succeeded to the 
 reins of government in England, and under his instructions 
 Lord Loudoun was recalled from the command in America, and 
 General Abercrombie appointed in his place. A strong naval 
 force was sent out under Admiral Boscawen, and twelve thou- 
 sand additional troops forwarded for the defence of the colonies. 
 To these the latter added nearly thirty-five thousand men, of 
 which New York furnished about three thousand, so that on the 
 an-ival of Abercrombie he found an effective army of nearly 
 fifty thousand men at his disposal. 
 
 6. Three several expeditions were speedily organized. Gen- 
 eral Amherst, with the English troops under the intrepid James 
 AVolfe, was assigned, in conjunction with the naval armament of 
 Boscawen, to the conquest of Louisburg ; General Forbes to that 
 of Fort du Quesne and the Ohio Valley ; and to Abercrombie 
 himself, with Lord Howe as his lieutenant, was intrusted the 
 capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. 
 
 7. General Amherst, with a fleet of twenty-two ships of the 
 line and fifteen frigates, and ten thousand effective men, disem- 
 bai-ked in front of Louisburg on the 8th of June, and entered 
 vigorously upon the siege of that important fortress. It was 
 not, however, until the 26th of July, that its French defenders, 
 finding further opposition futile, surrendered the town and fort, 
 together with the islands of Cape Breton and St. John (now Prince 
 Edward) and their dependencies, leaving the English masters of 
 the entire territory nearly to the mouth of the St. Lawrence. 
 
 M.iss.acre of the g-nrrison liv the Indiiins. — Noble exertions of Montcalm 
 for their rescue. — Destruction of the fort. — Campaign of 1758. — Organi- 
 zation of forcc», and plan of the canijiaign. 
 
72 FOURTH PERIOD. 
 
 8. Meanwhile Abercrombie, with seven thousand regulars, 
 nine thousand provincial troops, and a heavy train of artillery, 
 was thundering against the fortifications of Ticonderoga, then 
 occupied hj Montcalm with an inferior force. The gallant Lord 
 Howe, on his march from Lake George, had been attacked and 
 slain hy a scouting-party of the enemy. Abercrombie, on the 
 8th of July, was severely repulsed in an attack upon the fort, 
 and after a bloodj' conflict of several hours' duration was com- 
 pelled to retreat to Lake George. 
 
 9. The French fort at Frontenac was then attacked by Gen- 
 eral Bradstreet, aided by a detachment of three thousand men 
 sent by Abercrombie, and a hundred and fifty warriors of the 
 Six Nations. On the 2Gth of August it was surrendered, with 
 a large collection of military stores for Fort du Quesne, and 
 nine armed vessels. Bradstreet, after destroj'ing the fort, re- 
 turned to Rome, where he built Fort Stanwix. Abercrombie, 
 having garrisoned Fort George, returned to Albany with his 
 remaining forces, and was soon afterwards superseded in his 
 command by General Amherst. 
 
 10. Fort du Quesne, on the 24th of November, surrendered 
 under an attack of the provincial troops, commanded by Wash- 
 ington, though nominally under the control of General Forbes. 
 Its name was changed to that of Fort Pitt, in honor of the 
 great English minister, whose energetic counsels had infused so 
 much spirit into the aflFairs of the colonies, and contributed so 
 largely to the triumph of its arms. 
 
 11. Abercrombie having been succeeded by General 
 Amherst, twenty thousand provincial troops were, early 
 in the spring, placed at his disposal, and a large land and naval 
 force of regulars sent over from England. General Wolfe was 
 directed to ascend the St. Lawrence and attack Quebec ; Am- 
 herst himself undertook the conquest of Ticonderoga, after 
 which he was to seize Montreal and unite his forces with those 
 of Wolfe before Quebec ; and General Prideaux was to capture 
 Fort Niagara, and proceed to Montreal. 
 
 Attack upon Fort Tiooiulorotr.a. — De.ith of Lord Howe. — TJcpulse of 
 the Enfilish. — Ttctreiit to Lake George. — Attack upon Fort Fi-ontenac by 
 rSrad^trcct. — Kocal! of AIiiTrrnmliie and appciintniont of Amherst. — Cn.\t- 
 tiive of Fort du Qnosno — Andicrst succeeds Abercrombie. — Plan of the 
 canipai;,'n. 
 
TICOXDEROGA, CROWN POINT, AND NIAGARA. 73 
 
 12. Ticonderoga was abandoned by the French without a 
 struggle, on the 2Gth of July. Crown Point surrendered soon 
 afterwards, and was occupied by Amherst, who strengthened its 
 defences hy the erection of a strong and impregnable fortress. 
 Prideaus appeared before Niagara on the 1 7th of July, and, 
 haying been mortally wounded on the same day by the bursting 
 of a gun, was succeeded in command by General Johnson. The 
 gan'ison, in expectation of reinforcements, held out for three 
 weeks. On the 25th, however, after a severe conflict, the fort 
 and its dependencies were compelled to surrender, notwithstand- 
 ing the accession of an additional force of nearly three thousand 
 French and Indians. 
 
 13. General AVolfe, with eight thousand troops, landed, on the 
 27th of June, upon Orleans Island, a few miles below Quebec. 
 The town was strongly defended by the French troops, and its 
 approaches were held by Montcalm in person at the head of the 
 main army. After several ineffectual eftbrts to gain possession 
 of the city, it was determined, at a council of war, to attempt the 
 Heights of Abraham, a level plateau, three hundred feet above 
 the water, in the upper part of the town. 
 
 14. At sunrise on the morning of the 13th of September the 
 whole English army stood in battle array upon the plains in 
 front of the heights, and being immediately confronted by the 
 French, a general and fierce battle ensued. Wolfe, severely 
 wounded, led the van, and at the head of his men received 
 another bullet in his breast, which compelled his removal to 
 the rear. Monckton, who succeeded him in command, was also 
 mortallj' wounded, and replaced by Townshend. Montcalm also 
 fell, and the order for retreat was given by the French. Amid 
 the shouts of victory, and the acclamations of the conquerors, 
 Wolfe's gallant spirit passed away at about the same time with 
 that of his heroic but defeated opponent. On the 18th the city 
 was formally surrendered to the English. 
 
 15. Montcalm's successor, Levi, made an ineffectual 
 effort, in the spring of the succeeding year, to recapture 
 Quebec ; and on its failure the French forces under Vaudreuil 
 
 Capture of Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Niagara. — Siege of Quebec. 
 — Death of Wolfe and Montcalm. — Surrender of the city. 
 
74 FOURTH PERIOD. 
 
 were concentrated for the defence of Montreal. Early in Sep- 
 tember, Amherst arrived before the city at the head of ten 
 thousand troops ; Johnson followed with a thousand Indian 
 warriors, Murray with four thousand troops fi-om Quebec, and 
 Colonel Haviland with three thousand from Crown Point. 
 
 16. Vaudreuil, conscious of his inability to resist this for- 
 midable force, on the 8th of September, signed a capitulation 
 surrendering Montreal and all other French posts in Canada. 
 It was not, however, until 17G3 — the interval having been 
 spent in naval warfare, where the English were almost uni- 
 formly successful — that a definitive treaty of peace between 
 the two nations was concluded, by which France ceded to Eng- 
 land all her American possessions. 
 
 17. On the morning of the 30th of July, 1760, Liouteu- 
 ant-Govemor De Lancey was found dead in his stud}-, from 
 
 the effects of a chronic disease, and the government devolved 
 npon the venerable Cadwallader Golden, now seventy-three years 
 of age. Governor Colden had long been intimately familiar 
 witli public afiairs, and possessed superior literary and admiuis- 
 ti-ative abilities. He entered upon his new duties, however, at a 
 most critical period in the history of the province and of the 
 nation, and found himself utterly incapable of resisting the pro- 
 gress of events tending rapidly to the dissolution of the existing 
 form of government. 
 
 18. His administration was temporarily interrupted 
 in October of the following year by the arrival of a com- 
 mission for General Robert Monckton, then commanding a mili- 
 tary force on Staten Island. His public announcement on the 
 assumption of his duties, that he had no instructions, and hoped 
 never to have any, was highlj' acceptable to the people. The 
 now Assembly' gave him a warm reception, and the usual honors 
 were conferred upon him. 
 
 19. His administration opened under the most favorable 
 auspices, had he only the ability and the disposition to profit 
 by them. The English Government had conceded to the colo- 
 nics many of the rights so long and pertinacious!}- withheld, had 
 
 Capture of Jlontroal. — Nnval warfare— Treaty of jicace. — Deaili of 
 Governor De Lancey. — Admiuiatration of Cadwallailcr Colden and Hobcrt 
 Monckton. 
 
THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 75 
 
 abandoned its demands for a permanent revenue, and had left 
 them in most respects, financial and otherwise, to their own 
 guidance. Occasional aggressions on their rights were still in- 
 flicted and impatiently endured ; and judicious legislation and 
 prudent administration alone were requisite to have insured 
 permanent peace and continued union. 
 
 20. The independence of the Judiciary was, soon after his ac- 
 cession, threatened by the appointment of Pratt, a lawyer of Bos- 
 ton, as the successor of Chief-Justice De Lancey, to hold his office 
 " at the King's pleasure," instead of as formerly " during good 
 behavior.'' The Assembly regarded this innovation as inconsist- 
 ent with the rights and liberties of the province. Monckton 
 himself disapproved of it, and even Golden advised against it ; 
 and Pratt, wliile accepting the office, was forced to concede and 
 keenly to feel the repugnance of the people to the proposed 
 tenure. The Presbyterians and Congregationalists were also 
 jealous of the favor shown by the officers of the Crown to Epis- 
 copacy, especially in the government of the college, which was 
 placed under Episcopal direction. 
 
 21. The Assembly having refused to provide for the 
 salary of the Chief-Justice, unless he should receive an 
 independent commission, the Board of Trade advised that the 
 income for the royal quit-rents should be applied to this object. 
 This course was accordingly adopted, and the Judiciary were 
 subjected to the power and influence of the Crown, who named 
 the judges, removed them at pleasure, fixed their salaries and 
 paid them from funds beyond the control of the colonial legis- 
 lature. 
 
 The independence of the Judiciary assailed. 
 
Washington's Head-quarters at Newburgh, on the Hudson. 
 
 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Stamp Act. — First Coi.ontal Congress. — Soks op Libeett. — 
 SiK Hexky Moore. — Liberty Pole. 
 
 1. The relations which, during a period of upwards of a cen- 
 tury, had existed between the American colonies and 
 the English Government, had been generally of a peace- 
 ful nature. With the exception of occasional remonstrances 
 on the part of the representative Assemblies of the provinces 
 against various enactments of Parliament, and regulation of the 
 Boards of Trade, affecting injuriously the manufactures, com- 
 merce, and navigation of the colonies, an uninterrupted spirit 
 of loyalty prevailed among them, and voluntary contributions 
 of men and money were cheerfully and promptly furnished 
 
 Relation between the colonics and the home government. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 77 
 
 ■whenever the military exigencies of the parent government ren- 
 dered such aid necessarj- or desirable. 
 
 2. The imposition npon them of forms of government and 
 executive officers not of their own choice, or without in any 
 manner consulting their wishes or inclinations ; the vexatious 
 restrictions upon their domestic and foreign trade by the pro- 
 hibition, except under high duties and onerous regulations, of 
 the importation and exportation of articles necessary to their 
 prosperity and welfare ; and various arbitrary and tyrannical en- 
 actments, affecting their civil, religious, and social rights and 
 privileges, had hitherto failed sensiblj' to weaken their regard 
 for the institutions and their attachment to the government 
 with which they had so long been familiar. But the time had 
 finally arrived when patience and unquestioning submission to 
 the increasing exaction of arbitrary power had ceased to be vir- 
 tues. Their experience in self-government, and the gradual 
 growth among them of a representative democracy, had pre- 
 pared them for the firm and manly assertion of their rights, 
 and taught them the value of freedom. 
 
 3. Their prompt and lavish expenditure of blood and treasure 
 during the war just closed had materially contributed to pro- 
 cure for the mother country a vast and valuable accession to 
 her territory in Amei'ica, and to expel from her possessions the 
 enemy who had apparently obtained so firm a footing. Thirty 
 thousand of the bravest soldiers of the colonies, and a debt of 
 thirteen millions of pounds, had been the price ungrudgingly 
 paid for the conquests which had added such signal lustre to 
 the Crown of Great Britain. The arrogant and insatiable de- 
 mands of a tyrannical government, however, required addi- 
 tional sacrifices, and nothing less than the abject concession of 
 unlimited powers over their persons and property would satisfy 
 the haughty ambition of the English aristocracy. 
 
 4. ^S^otwithstanding the repeated and persistent refusal _ 
 of the provincial Assemblies to recognize the right of the 
 English Parliament to impose taxes upon them without their 
 own consent. Lord Grenville, then at the head of the British 
 Jlinistry, submitted, in 1764, a proposition for the raising of 
 
 Restrictions upon commerce and navigation. — Sacrifices of the colonics, 
 and demands of the government. 
 
78 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 a pennanent revenue upon the colonies, by the establishment 
 of stamp duties, and taxation of various articles of foreign pro- 
 duce. During the sessions of that and the succeeding year va- 
 rious enactments were made in conformity with these sugges- 
 tions; and in contemptuous disregard of the earnest remonstrance 
 of the colonies, the celebrated Stamp Act was passed on 
 the 22d of March, 1765, to take effect on the first day of 
 November subsequently. 
 
 5. By the provisions of this act all legal and mercantile 
 documents and contracts, newspapers, pamplilcts, almanacs, &c., 
 were required to be written or printed on stamped paper, upon 
 which a duty was to be imposed payable to officers appointed by 
 the Crown. Its promulgation created a general feeling of indig- 
 nation throughout the colonies, accompanied by a determination, 
 at aU hazards, to resist or evade its enforcement. In New York 
 the obnoxious act was publicly paraded through the streets of 
 the city, with a death's head affixed, bearing the significant in- 
 scription, " The Folly of England, and the Ruin of America." 
 Similar demonstrations were made in Boston, Philadelphia, and 
 other principal cities and towns. 
 
 6. On the 7th of October the FinsT Colonial Congress, con- 
 sisting of twenty-eight delegates from nine colonies, assembled 
 at New York, and remained in session for two weeks. The body 
 was presided over by Timothy Euggles of Massachusetts, and 
 after matm-e consideration adopted a Declaration of Rights, 
 drawn up by John Cruger of New York ; a calm and temper- 
 ate, but firm and decided, statement of grievances in the form 
 of a Memorial to Parliament, prepared by Robert R. Livingston, 
 also of New York ; and a Petition to the King, by James Otis 
 of Massachusetts. 
 
 7. These documents asserted the inalienable right of the in- 
 habitants of the several colonies to all the privileges of free-bom 
 Englishmen ; the protection of life, liberty, property, and per- 
 son ; exemption from all taxes, restrictions, and imposts not 
 voluntarily assumed by themselves or assented to by their rep- 
 resentatives freely chosen ; and denounced in glowing terms the 
 
 PassaTC of the Stiimp Act. — Its rcccptioti in the colonics. — Proceedings 
 .It Xcw York. — Proceedings of the first Colonial Congress. — Its composi- 
 tion and officers. — Declaration of Eights and Memorial to Parliament 
 
THE STAMP ACT. 79 
 
 continued and systematic invasion of these rights and privileges, 
 under pretence of law, by a body in which they were wholly 
 unrepresented. Protesting their unimpaired confidence in the 
 wisdom and justice of Parliament, and their earnest desire for a 
 continuance of the friendly relations hitherto existing between 
 the two countries, they respectfully demanded the repeal of the 
 obnoxious acts complained of, and the discontinuance in future 
 of all similar arbitrary legislation. 
 
 8. On the 1st of November, the day on which the Stamp 
 Act was to go into effect, the shops, stores, aud public offices 
 of the city were closed ; the flags of the vessels in the port 
 were floating at half-mast ; the bells of the several churches 
 were tolled, and numerous other manifestations of the public 
 discontent find son-ow were displayed. All business was sus- 
 pended, the courts were closed, and the city was clothed in 
 mourning. Meanwhile the obnoxious stamps had reached the 
 city, and been deposited in the fort for safe-keeping by the 
 direction of Governor Golden, who had recently succeeded 
 Mouckton in the administration of the province. 
 
 9. McEvers, the agent appointed by the Crown for the distri- 
 bution and sale of the stamps, intimidated by the manifesta- 
 tions of the popidar feeling on every hand, had resigned his com- 
 mission ; the association of the " Sons of Liberty," headed by 
 Isaac Sears, John Lamb, Alexander McDougall. Francis Lewis, 
 Marinus Willett, and other patriotic leaders, had been revived, 
 and an engagement entered into by the merchants generally to 
 cease all importation of goods from Great Britain while the act 
 romained in force. Handbills were circulated throughout the 
 city, warning all people against the purchase or use of stamps at 
 their peril. 
 
 10. In the evening two organized companies, under the lead 
 of the Sons of Liberty, paraded the streets, one of which pro- 
 ceeded to the Commons, the site of the present City Hall, 
 where they suspended an effigy of the Governor with the 
 stamped paper in his hands, and other contemptuous devices ; 
 while the other proceeded to the fort with another effigy of the 
 obnoxious Governor, broke open the stable of his residence, and 
 
 Arrival of the stamps. — Thu 1st of November. — Proccctlings of tho 
 Sons of Liberty. — Demoiistriition of the Sons of Liberty. 
 
80 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 taking from it his carriage and, placing in it the effigy, returned 
 in triumph to their associates on the Commons, from -whence, 
 consolidating their ranks, they took up their march in strict 
 order and unbroken silence to the fort. 
 
 11. Here they found the troops, under the command of Gen- 
 eral Gage, drawn up on the rampart for their reception, and the 
 muzzles of the cannon aimed directly at their ranks. The Brit- 
 ish commander, however, prudently reserved his fire ; and the 
 procession, being denied admission to the fort, repaired to the 
 Bowling Green, tore down the wooden palisades, and contented 
 themselves with burning the carriage with its effigy and other 
 accompaniments. Some of their more violent associates, dis- 
 regarding the remonstrances of their comrades, proceeded to the 
 residence of Major James, a British officer, who had rendered him- 
 self obnoxious to the populace, broke open and rifled the house, 
 and burned the furniture, carrying off the royal standard in 
 triumph. 
 
 12. The next evening the people again assembled at the Com- 
 mons with the intention of renewing the attack upon the fort 
 and gaining possession of the stamped paper. Governor Golden, 
 however, anticipated their action on this occasion by sending a 
 communication to the city authorities, declaring his intention 
 not to issue any of the stamps while he remained in office. Not 
 content with this assurance, another demonstration was made 
 on the ensuing evening, and the Governor, having failed in his 
 efforts to place the stamps under military protection, delivered 
 them up in due form to the Mayor and Corporation, taking from 
 them a receipt for their safe-keeping. This proceeding quieted 
 the popular leaders for the time, and restored order to the city. 
 
 13. In the mean time, the Committee of Correspondence, ap- 
 pointed by the citizens, through their Chairman, John Lamb, 
 had addressed circular letters to the merchants of the sister- 
 cities of the colonies, inviting their co-operation in the non-in- 
 tercourse policy, which was promptly acceded to by all. They 
 had also drafted articles for a general union and confederation 
 of the colonics in resistance to the arbitrary measures of the 
 
 Attat'k on the fort. — Riotous proceedings. — Governor Coldcn delivers 
 up the st.imps. — General non-intercourse agreement. — Articles of confed- 
 eration proposed. 
 
THE REVOLUTlOSAliY WAR. 81 
 
 Crown, and providing for the assembling of a general Congress 
 in the event of persistence in these measures. These articles 
 were also unanimoiisly approved and adopted. 
 
 14. A neu- supply of stamps soon after arrived in the prov- 
 ince, with the new Governor, Sir Hexey Moore, and Peter De 
 Lanccy, Jr., who had been appointed stamp distributor in the 
 place of ilcEvers. The Governor having peremptorily declined 
 any interference with the obnoxious stamps, they were depos- 
 ited -with the others in the City Hall, and De Lancey advised 
 by a committee of the Sons of Liberty to follow the prudent 
 example of his predecessor, with which he was fain publicly to 
 comply. A similar course was pursued towards a Maryland 
 official who had sought the protection of Governor Colden, and 
 taken shelter on Long Island. 
 
 15. The new Governor met with a favorable reception from 
 the citizens and the public authorities, who were highly pleased 
 with his liberal views and ready concessions to the popular 
 sentiment. The Assembly which convened on his arrival con- 
 firmed the proceedings of their delegates in the Colonial Congi'ess, 
 and adopted resolutions in favor of the policy inaugurated by 
 that bod}'. About the same time. Captain Christian Jacobsen, 
 of the ship Hope, arrived from Holland, having refused to bring 
 over additional stamps. 
 
 IC. The Sons of Liberty, on information that stamps designed 
 for Connecticut were concealed on board the vessel bringing 
 over the Governor, instituted a vigilant search ; but finding that 
 they had been transferred to another vessel, repaired on board 
 and took ten packages from the hold, which they conveyed to the 
 ship-yards and burnt. They also resorted to the most vigorous 
 measures for the repression of all sales of stamped paper within 
 the province. 
 
 17. So odious had the act become in all the colonies, 
 
 1 7fifi 
 
 and so determined and effective was the opposition to 
 
 its enforcement, that its repeal was procured on the 20th of 
 
 February of the ensuing year, at the instance of the Marquis of 
 
 Arrival of Sir Henry Moore as Governor. — New supply of stamps. — 
 Proceedings of the Sons of Lil)crty. — Reception of tlie Governor. — Pro- 
 ccedinfrs of the Assembly. — Vigilance of the Sons of Liberty. — Repeal of 
 the Stamp Act. 
 
 6 
 
82 FIFTH FKHIOD. 
 
 Rockingham, accompanied, however, by a declaratory act aifirm- 
 ing the riglit of Parliament to tax the colonies for any purpose 
 whatsoever. Its repeal was hailed in the city with acclamations 
 of delight, and received with the utmost satisfaction by all the 
 colonies. 
 
 18. Bells were rung, cannon fired, bonfires kindled, a public 
 dinner given by the civic authorities, and the city illuminated 
 in honor of the event. On the 4th of June following, the pa- 
 triots again assembled on the Commons in honor of the King's 
 birthday, and, after the most enthusiastic manifestations of 
 loyalty, raised, near where the present City Hall stands, a 
 Liberty Pole, on which were inscribed the words, " The King, 
 Pitt, and Liberty." In defence of this standard, the first blood 
 of the Revolution was soon destined to be shed. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Tax on Tea. — The Liberty Pole. — Sous op Liberty. — Gov- 
 ernor Golden. — John Lamb and Alexander McDougall. 
 
 1. During the month of June a sharp controversy was main- 
 
 tained between the Governor and the Assembly in ref- 
 erence to the supplies required to be furnished by the citi- 
 zens of New York to the troops under the command of General 
 Gage, stationed in the city, nominally for its protection. The 
 spirit of opposition manifested by the Assembly to the demands 
 of the Governor was vigorously seconded by the people, and 
 frequent collisions from time to time occurred between the occu- 
 pants of the barracks on the Commons and the more violent 
 of the patriotic leaders. 
 
 2. On the night of the 10th of August a party of soldiers 
 from the barracks cut down the Liberty Pole erected on the 
 Commons, and on the succeeding day attacked and dispersed a 
 party of the citizens who had assembled to replace it, seriously 
 
 Rejoicings in the eolonies. — Pntviotie celelirations. — Erection of Liberty 
 I'ole. — Contiovcrfios lictween the Governor and Assembly. — The Liberty 
 l^ule cut down. — Disturbances between the soldiery and citizens. 
 
2 HE HE VOLUTION A HY WAR. 83 
 
 wounding several of their numlier, among whom were Isaac 
 Sears and John Berrien, prominent members of the Sons of 
 Liberty. Although this violent proceeding of the soldiers was 
 justified by their officers, the patriots were allowed to replace 
 the pole a few days afterwards, without further molestation at 
 that time. 
 
 3. On the 23d of September, however, the pole was again cut 
 down, and again replaced on the next day by the inhabitants. 
 This persistent determination of the citizens induced the Gover- 
 nor to prohibit aU future attempts of the like nature on the 
 part of the soldiery, and the most stringent measures were 
 adopted by both the civil and military authorities to prevent 
 their repetition. 
 
 4. The refusal of the Assembly to comply with the requisi- 
 tions of the Governor for the provision of supplies for the mil- 
 itary brought down upon them a severe censure from the 
 Crown ; and a spirited reply on their part was followed by a 
 temporary prorogation. Rumors, however, of warlike prepara- 
 tion in England, and the menaces and persuasions of the Gover- 
 nor, induced them finally to consent to an additional appropria- 
 tion, which, while it incurred the strong disapprobation of the 
 patriotic party, failed to conciliate the Government. The legis- 
 lative powers of the Assembly were suspended by Parliament, 
 and instructions forwarded to the Governor prohibiting his 
 assent to any act passed by them until a full compliance with 
 the demands of the Crown should be obtained. 
 
 5. That body, however, disregarding the injunctions 
 of the English Government, and supported by the gen- 
 eral approval of the popular voice in their own and the neigh- 
 boring colonies, continued their sessions as usual, and adopted 
 strong resolutions declaring the arbitrary proceedings of Parlia- 
 ment suspending their legislative functions unconstitutional and 
 void. Meanwhile Parliament, on the motion of Charles Towus- 
 hend, Chancellor of the Exchequer, had unanimously passed 
 a bill, early in 17G7, imposing duties on all tea, glass, paper, 
 painters' colors, and lead imported into the colonies. 
 
 Pi-oceeuiiifrs of tlie authorities. — Proceedinfrs of the Assembly. — Sus- 
 pension of legislative powers. — Resistance of the Assembly. — Tax on 
 tea, ic. 
 
84 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 6. This fresh invasion of their rights and privileges created a 
 renewed excitement in all the colonies. Committees of corre- 
 spondence were established throughout the provinces by the en- 
 ergetic and vigilant Sons of Liberty in New York, and the mer- 
 chants of that city again assembled and unanimously renewed 
 the non-importation agreement, pledging themselves to its strict 
 observance during the continuance of the obnoxious duties. 
 
 7. On the 18th of March, previous to the arrival of intelli- 
 gence of the proceedings of Parliament, the anniversary of the 
 repeal of the Stamp Act was celebrated by the citizens with 
 the utmost enthusiasm. Oa the succeeding night, however, the 
 Liberty Pole on the Commons was again levelled to the ground 
 by the soldiery. Another and a more substantial one, secured by 
 ii-on bands, was ou the next daj"^ set up in its place by the Sons 
 of Liberty. Several ineffectual efforts were made for its de- 
 struction, all of which were counteracted by the vigilance of 
 its patriotic defenders. The officers of the garrison finally in- 
 terfered, and prevented the further continuance of these demon- 
 strations. 
 
 8. The Assembly having been formally dissolved by 
 the Governor in Februarj', 1768, a new election was or- 
 dered, resulting in the return of representatives little less dis- 
 posed to compliance with the demands of the government than 
 their predecessors. On their meeting in October, in utter dis- 
 regard of the royal injunction, they opened a correspondence 
 with the Massachusetts Assembly, warmly sympathizing with 
 their misfortunes ; and after voting a liberal appropriation for 
 supplies to the troops quartered in the city, coupled with a 
 scries of resolutions strongly declaratory of their rights, and 
 denouncing their repeated infringement by Parliament, were 
 dissolved. 
 
 9. On the 4th of April, 1769, another new Assembly 
 was convened, and after renewing, at the earnest solici- 
 tation of the Governor, the appropriation for military sup- 
 plies to the gaiTison, was prorogued. The Governor continued 
 to exert his influence to the extent of his power for the repres- 
 
 Tndi.ffnntioTi of the colonics. — Proccodinjis of the Sons of Liberty. — 
 Renc^^•al of non-import.ation agreement. — Renewed eftbrts for the destruc- 
 tion of the Liberty Pole. — Proceedings of the new Assembly. 
 
POPULAR EXCITEMEyr L\ iXEiV YORK. 85 
 
 sion of all disloyal manifestations on the part of the inhabi- 
 tants of the province and city ; but his well-meant efforts at 
 conciliation were suddenly ended by his death, which took place 
 on the 11th of September, devolving the government again 
 upon Cadwallader Coldcn. 
 
 10. The Assembly was again convened on the 21st of Novem- 
 ber ; and through a coalition between the Governor and his 
 former inveterate opponent, De Lancey, an additional appro- 
 priation of money for supplies was obtained. Inflammatory 
 handbills were immediately circulated by the leaders of the 
 popular party, openly charging the Assembly with a betrayal 
 of the trust reposed in them by their constituents ; and a large 
 assemblage of citizens gathered on the Commons on the 18th 
 of December, presided over by John Lamb, denounced the pro- 
 ceedings of the Assembly, and bo far alarmed the members of 
 that body and the Governor, that it was found necessary at 
 the close of the session to force through, by a close vote, a 
 bill for the issue of colonial bills of credit to the amount of 
 one hundred and twenty thousand pounds, the interest to 
 be applied to the support of the colonial government, which, 
 early in January, 1770, received the prompt approval of the 
 Governor. 
 
 11. In the mean time the Assembly, by a nearly 
 unanimous vote, denounced the handbills as libellous, 
 
 and offered a reward of one hundred and fifty povinds for the 
 discovery of their authors. Lamb was arrested and brought be- 
 fore the House, where he boldly avowed the part he had taken 
 in the proceedings of the public meeting, and justified it as the 
 exercise of a right which, in common with every Englishman, 
 he possessed. His associates among the Sons of Liberty fear- 
 lessly seconded his appeal, and avowed their approval of, and 
 participation in, his acts, and their readiness to meet the con- 
 sequences. This spirited behavior procured their discharge. 
 Alexander McDougall, to whom the authorship of the handbills 
 
 Death of Governor Moore. — CoUlcn resumes the government. — Coali- 
 tion with De Lancey. — Vote of supplies to the troops. — Indiirnation of 
 the people. — Inflammatory hanrtbills. — Public meeting-. — Passage of bill 
 for issue of colonial bills of credit. — Arrest of Lamb. — Imprisonment of 
 McDousall. 
 
86 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 ■was traced, was arrested and imprisoned, when, for nearly two 
 months, he was daily visited by crowds of his friends of both 
 sexes, who regarded him as a martjT to tlie cause of hberty, 
 and where he remained until, on indictment by the grand jury, 
 he was admitted to bail in the ensuing AprU. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Battle of Golden Hill. — Demolition of the Liberty Pole. — 
 Xox-Importation Agreemekt. — Lord Dunmore. — Bills of Cred- 
 it. — McDoUGALL AND GeORGE CliNTON. 
 
 1. On the evening of the 13th of January a renewed attack 
 was made upon the Liberty Pole by a party of soldiers 
 belonging to the garrison. Indignant at their failure to 
 
 accomplish its overthrow before an alarm was given, and smart- 
 ing under the hisses and jeers of the citizens gathered in front 
 of Jlontagnie's tavern, the head-quarters of the Sons of Liberty 
 in the immediate vicinity of the Commons, they commenced a 
 furious attack upon the crowd, driving them into the house with 
 their bayonets, and, sword in hand, proceeded to demolish the 
 windows and furniture of the building, after which they retired. 
 
 2. An additional attempt was made on the evening of the 
 loth to effect the demolition of the popular standard, but again 
 without success. The next evening, however, they accomplished 
 their object, levelling the pole to the ground, sawing it into 
 pieces, and piling them triumphantly in front of the hotel. The 
 people were aroused by the discovery of this outrage, and a pub- 
 lic meeting of the citizens was hastily convened at the Com- 
 mons on the morning of the 17th. 
 
 3. Several thousands of the inhabitants of the city promptly 
 responded to this call, and at noon the Commons were thronged 
 by an excited multitude, while a party of seamen scoured the 
 docks, piers, and warehouses, where the soldiers were employed 
 as laborers, and compelled them to abandon their occupation 
 
 Uiotous proceedings of the soldiers. — Demolition of the Liberty Pole. — 
 E.xcitement of the people. — Public meeting of the citizens. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 87 
 
 and return to their quarters. Resolutions were passed censur- 
 ing in the strongest terms the riotous conduct of the soldiery, 
 denouncing their presence in the city as unnecessary and dan- 
 gerous, and discountenancing their employment by the citizens 
 when off duty as detrimental to the interests of the laboring 
 class. All soldiers appearing armed in the streets, or found out 
 of their barracks after roll-call, were directed to be dealt with 
 as enemies of the city. 
 
 4. On the ensuing day (January 18) two soldiers were ar- 
 rested by Isaac Sears and another of the Sons of Liberty in the 
 act of posting an inflammatory handbill prepared by their com- 
 rades, and conducted to the Mayor's office, where they were 
 immediately followed by a party of twenty soldiers armed with 
 cutlasses and bayonets, who demanded the immediate release of 
 the prisoners. This demand was promptly resisted by Captain 
 Richardson and other citizens, who defended the entrance and 
 ordered the return of the soldiers to their barracks. 
 
 5. The crowd collected in front of the Ma^-or's office had, in 
 the mean time, provided themselves with stakes from the carts 
 aud sleighs in the vicinity, and seemed not indisposed to meas- 
 ure their strength with their armed opponents in the impending 
 contest. In apparent obedience to the orders of the Mayor the 
 soldiei-s retired, closely followed by the citizens, as far as the 
 summit of Golden Hill, as John Street was then called, between 
 William and Cliff Streets. Here they were joined by a rein- 
 forcement from the upper barracks on the Commons, headed by 
 an officer in disguise. He immediately ordered a charge upon 
 the people, who, with the exception of a few in possession of 
 clubs, were entirely unarmed. They succeeded, however, by 
 their numbers, in steadily resisting the furious attack of the 
 soldiers, and impeding their apparent return down the hill to 
 the Mayor's office, until they were hemmed in by another body 
 of soldiers from the upper barracks, while a third approached to 
 the relief of their comrades from the fort. 
 
 6. The three parties, consolidating their forces by the junc- 
 tion of a portion of the assailants who had forced their way 
 
 Resolutions adopted. — Arrest of soldiers by the Sons of Liberty. — Pro- 
 ceedings at the Mayor's office. — Attempt at recapture of the prisoners by 
 their associates. — Battle of Golden Hill. 
 
88 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 through the unarmed crowd of citizens, commenced a furious 
 attack upon the latter, severely wounding several of their num- 
 ber. Others, including women and children, not participating 
 in the affray, were cut down and bayoneted, though none were 
 mortally injured, and it was not until some time had elapsed that 
 the contest was arrested by the interference of the officers of 
 the garrison. 
 
 7. On the ensuing day the soldiers recommenced their as- 
 saults by thrusting a bayonet through the dress of a woman re- 
 turning from market. About noon a party of sailors were 
 attacked at the head of Chapel Street, now Park Row, opposite 
 Beekman Street, and one of their number was run through the 
 body. In the midst of the conflict the Mayor made his ap- 
 pearance, and attempted, without success, to disperse the infu- 
 riated soldiers. He then despatched a message to the officers 
 at the ban-acks, but the messenger was intercepted by the 
 troops, who refused to suffer him to proceed. A party of the 
 Sons of Liberty, however, who had been engaged at playing 
 ball iu the neighborhood, came to the rescue and dispersed the 
 soldiers. 
 
 8. In the afternoon another affray occurred between the sol- 
 diery and citizens on the Commons. The "Liberty Boys" again 
 appeared in force, and after a severe conflict succeeded in driv- 
 ing the assailants to their barracks, after disarming a portion 
 of their number, severely wounding others, and capturing and 
 imprisoning one of the leaders in the affair of the preceding 
 day. 
 
 9. Thus terminated the earliest contest in which blood was 
 shed, which ushered in the American Revolution ; and although 
 no lives are known to have been lost, yet the firm stand made 
 by the mass of the citizens, unarmed and undisciplined, against 
 an armed and trained foreign soldier}"^ imposed upon them 
 against their will, sufficiently served to indicate the irrepi'essible 
 spirit whicli animated the colonists, and to warn their haughty 
 oppressors of the danger of persistence in their fatal policy. 
 
 10. Governor Golden in his despatches to the English Govern- 
 ment, detailing the events we have related, attributed their oc- 
 
 EencM-al of tlie conflict. — Its termination by the Liberty Boys. — Gov- 
 ernor Golden 's despatches. 
 
TEE SONS OF LIBERTY. 89 
 
 cun'ence to the violence of party faction, promoted by the ene- 
 mies of the Crown, chiefly Dissenters or Independents from New 
 England of republican principles, while the friends of Govern- 
 ment were chieflj- connected with the English, Lutheran, and 
 Dutch churches, with a sprinkling of Presbyterians. The re- 
 pugnance of the popular leaders to the demands of the Crown 
 for the support of the soldiers is specially adverted to, and high 
 commendation bestowed upon the officers and magistrates for 
 their exertions in quelling the disturbances. 
 
 11. The petition of the Sons of Liberty for permission to erect 
 another Liberty Pole in the place of the one cut down having 
 been refused by the Common Council, Lamb and his associates 
 purchased a site near the former one, and on the 6th of Febru- 
 ary planted it firmly, with the inscription " Liberty and Prop- 
 erty," amid the acclamations of the people and the cheering 
 strains of music. The Sons of Liberty established their head- 
 quarters on the present site of the Herald office, in a building 
 to which they gave the appropriate name of Hampden Hall. 
 
 12. On the 29th of March a final attack was made upon the 
 Liberty Pole by the soldiers who were about embarking for 
 Pensacola, whither they were desirous of transporting a portion 
 of its timber as a troph}-. The Liberty Boys speedily rallied to 
 its defence, driving its assailants to their barracks. Ecinforced, 
 the party, fifteen in number, returned with forty of their com- 
 rades, and charged the citizens, who retreated to their hall, 
 which was immediately suiTounded by the soldiers, and an en- 
 trance by force attempted, with infuriated denunciations of ven- 
 geance. The alarm-bell was rung, the citizens flew to arms, and, 
 apprehensive of a recurrence of the conflict at Golden Hill, the 
 officers of the gaiTison hastened to withdraw their forces. The 
 troops embarked on the 3d of May without their coveted 
 prize, which remained thenceforth immolested until the occupa- 
 tion of the city by the British in 1776, when it was again lev- 
 elled by the orders of the infamous Provost-Marshal Cunning- 
 ham. 
 
 1 3. Soon after the departure of the troops, the Sons of Lib- 
 erty, learning of the visit of one Rogers, a Boston merchant, 
 
 Erection of a new Liberty I'ole. — Hampden Hall. — Renewed attack ujion 
 the Pule, — Its successful defence. — Its final fate. 
 
00 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 who had been posted by his fellow-citizens for a violation of the 
 non-importation agreement, and suspecting his intentions, pa- 
 raded his effigy in procession through the streets, suspended on a 
 gallows, and with four or five thousand citizens proceeded to his 
 residence with the view of further honors. Finding him absent, 
 and being informed of his contemplated departure for Philadel- 
 phia, they apprised their brethren there of his intentions, re- 
 questing at their hands a worthy welcome. Rogers, however, 
 deferred his visit, and returned terrified to Boston. 
 
 14. The act of Parliament of 1767, imposing additional du- 
 ties on the colonies, having been repealed with the exception of 
 the tax on tea, a general committee of one hundred of the lead- 
 ing inhabitants of the city and province was formed, and the 
 non-importation agreement, so long and so faithfully adhered 
 to by the merchants of New York at a heavy pecimiary sacrifice, 
 was now restricted to the single article of tea. The patriotic 
 Sons of Liberty, however, and their adherents among the popu- 
 lar party, declined to sanction this compromise, and continued 
 their opposition to the principle still involved in the act, not- 
 withstanding the diminution of the pecuniary demand. 
 
 1 5. On the 25th of October, Golden was superseded by Lord 
 Dunmore. The Assembly was informed of the royal approval 
 of the bill for the issue of colonial bills of credit, and the re- 
 newal of the required appropriations for the support of the 
 
 __ troops. In January of the succeeding year, McDougall 
 was brought before that body to answer to the indictment 
 pending against him. On his refusal to acknowledge the au- 
 thorship of the alleged libel, he was required by the Assembly 
 to give a definitive answer. " The House has declared the paper 
 a libel," he boldly repUed, " and the law does not require me to 
 criminate myself." 
 
 1 6. De jSToyellis, the prosecutor, insisted that the House had 
 power to extort an answer and to punish him for contumacy. 
 " The House has power to throw the prisoner over the bar or 
 out of the window," observed George Glinton, the future Gov- 
 
 Proceedings of the Sons of Liberty on the visit of a Boston merchant 
 charged with violation of the non-importation agreement. — Repeal of 
 duties except on lea. — Non-importation agreement. — Lord Dunmore. — 
 Proceedings against McDougall. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 91 
 
 ernor of New York, " but the public will doubt the justice of 
 the proceeding." A written answer having been refused, on the 
 allegation that it reflected on the dignity of the body, the in- 
 trepid Clinton indignantly exclaimed, " The dignity of the House 
 would be better supported by justice than by overstrained au- 
 thority." McDougall was recommitted to prison, where he re- 
 mained but a short time before he obtained his release through 
 the efforts of his friends. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Governors Trton and Colden. — Tax on Tea. — The "Mohawks" 
 AND Sons of Liberty. — Boarding of the Tea-Ships. 
 
 1. Lord Dunmorb having been transferred to Virginia, 
 William Tryon was duly commissioned as Governor in his 
 stead. On his arrival early in July, he was favorably received 
 by the people, signalizing his accession, however, as did his prede- 
 cessor, by a refusal to accept any income from the Assembly, 
 preferring to rely for support exclusively upon his Majesty, and 
 the disposition by the government of the colonial taxes. The 
 quiet of the city and province remained undisturbed for a con- 
 siderable period after Tryon's assumption of his duties, although 
 the revolutionary spirit was rapidly increasing in depth and 
 earnestness. 
 
 2. The persistent refusal on the part of the colonies 
 to import, purchase, or in any manner to use tea, the 
 only remaining commodity on which an impost was demanded 
 by the British Government, induced Parliament, on the urgent 
 representations of the East India Company, to remit all export 
 duties payable by the Company in England, and to insist only 
 upon a tax of threepence per pound payable on its arrival in 
 America. 
 
 3. Large shipments of tea having been prepared for the colo- 
 nies under the expectation that the trifling duties demanded by 
 
 Governor Trvon's administration. — Tax on tea. 
 
92 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 the new act would secure a ready sale, the irrepressible Sons of 
 Liberty again rallied their forces, sternly prohibiting the in- 
 ti'oduction under any pretence of the obnoxious article, and 
 delegating an association of their number, known as " Mo- 
 hawks," to superintend the aiTival of ships freighted wholly or 
 in part with this cargo. 
 
 4. Alarmed at these decided demonstrations of the popular 
 leaders, the Tea-Commissioners appointed for New York at 
 once resigned their commissions ; and even the foreign tea- 
 merchants began to doubt the expediency of shipments to the 
 colonies ; but being reassured by a renegade merchant of New 
 York that all opposition would be promptly quelled by the new 
 Governor, who was a man of decision and energy, they deter- 
 mined to ventiire upon the experiment. 
 
 5. On the 27th of November the Sons of Liberty formally 
 renewed their organization and adopted a series of spirited reso- 
 lutions, denouncing as enemies to the liberties of America any 
 person aiding or abetting in any way the introduction, pur- 
 chase, or use of tea, and declaring that whether the duties im- 
 posed by the act were paid in Great Britain or America, the 
 liberties of the colonies were equally affected. On the 16th 
 of December, the same day on which the Boston tea-party 
 took place, these resolutions were again promulgated in imme- 
 diate anticipation of the landing of a cargo from England. 
 Governor Trj-on made an ineffectual effort to secure its introduc- 
 tion by promising that after its formal reception the tea should 
 be returned to the ships ; but the excited inhabitants, headed 
 by John Lamb, unanimously refused to permit its landing. 
 
 6. The ship, in the mean while, delayed by adverse 
 winds, failed to make her appearance ; and on the 7th of 
 April of the ensuing year, Tryon, leaving the government again 
 in the hands of Golden, set sail for England. On the 18th the 
 long-expected vessel — the Nancy, Captain Lockyer — arrived 
 off Sandy Hook with a cargo of tea for the port. The pilots, 
 under the directions of the Vigilance Committee, detained the 
 vessel in the Lower Bay, while several of the committee pro- 
 ceeded on board and took possession. The captain was per- 
 
 Sjiiiitcd proreedinfr? of the Sons of Liberty. — Colden resumes the admin- 
 i^itration. — Arrival of tea-ships. 
 
TEA TROUBLES IN NEW YORK. 93 
 
 mitted, under a strong escort, to consult with the consignee, 
 who at once refused to receive the cargo, and advised its 
 prompt return to England. 
 
 7. On the 22d, Captain Chambers, a recreant New-Yorker, 
 arrived in tlie harbor with the ship London, and was immediate- 
 ly boarded by two of the members of the committee. On his 
 assurance that he had no tea on board, and the exhibition of 
 his papers, confirming this statement, he was permitted to pro- 
 ceed to the city. On reaching the wharf, the vessel was again 
 boarded by the committee, who demanded a thorough search 
 for the obnoxious article. Driven to bay by their determined 
 vigilance, Chambers finally admitted the possession of tea, al- 
 leging, however, that it was his own on a private venture, and 
 without the knowledge of the Company. At eight in the even- 
 ing the vessel was again boarded by a vast crowd of the ex- 
 cited inhabitants, the hatches forced open, eighteen chests of 
 tea brought upon deck, opened, and their contents emptied into 
 the river. No attempt at disguise or concealment was made ; 
 and the people at an early hour quietly dispersed without f'lr- 
 thcr violence. 
 
 8. The nest morning, in pursuance of a call of the Vigilance 
 Committee, the citizens assembled in front of the Coffee House 
 in Wall Street, where Lockyer was lodging, and amid the 
 ringing of bells, firing of cannon, display of flags, and the 
 music of the city bands, conducted him to a boat at the foot 
 of the street, whence, with his companion Chambers, under the 
 escort of a less ceremonious committee, he was taken on board 
 the Nancy, and, accompanied by the vigilant representatives 
 of the popular feeling three leagues beyond Sandy Hook, they 
 took a polite leave of their entertainers and proceeded on their 
 outward voyage. 
 
 9. On a meeting of the citizens on the 19th of May, in re- 
 sponse to an invitation from the patriots of Boston for a re- 
 newal of the non-importation agreement, a corresponding com- 
 mittee of fifty-one of the leading inhabitants was formed, and a 
 sub-committee, consisting of Alexander McDougall, Isaac Low, 
 
 Xcw Toi-k " tea-party. " — Procoedings of the Viirilanco Commirrce and 
 ciiizcn?. — Departure of the tea-ships. — Public meeting of citizens.— 
 Committee of fifty-one. 
 
94 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 James Duane, and John Jay, appointed to prepare an answer to 
 the Bostonians. This committee, deeming a renewal of the 
 non-importation agreement inexpedient under existing circum- 
 stances, recommended a General Congress of deputies from the 
 colonies for the consideration of public affairs. At a public 
 meeting on the 6th of July, presided over by McDougall, and 
 at which Alexander Hamilton, then a youth of seventeen, and 
 a student of King's College, made his first appearance as an 
 orator, the non-importation agreement was renewed, notwith- 
 standing the opposition of the committee, their recommenda- 
 tion of a Colonial Congress adopted, and resolutions strongly 
 sympathizing with the Bostonians under the arbitrary tyranny 
 of England unanimously passed. 
 
 10. The second Colonial Congress accordingly assembled at 
 Philadelphia early in September, New York being represented 
 by Philip Livingston, John Alsop, Isaac Low, James Duane, 
 and John Jaj% appointed by the committee of fifty-one, in con- 
 junction with a committee of mechanics. This body adopted 
 a Declaration of Rights and Privileges drawn up by Jay, pro- 
 testing against standing armies and parliamentary taxation, and 
 declaring the various obnoxious acts passed since the accession 
 of the present monarch infringements of their rights and uncon- 
 stitutional. They also leagued themselves into a non-importa- 
 tion association, pledging themselves to import no goods from 
 Great Britain or its dependencies until the repeal of these acts. 
 11. The Assembly, although a majority of its mem- 
 bers could not be prevailed upon to afford their sanction 
 to the proceedings of the Colonial Congress, addressed, never- 
 theless, a strong remonstrance to Parliament against its harsh 
 and severe treatment of the colonies, in terms so distasteful to 
 that body that the ministry refused to receive it. On the 3d of 
 April, 1775, the Assembly adjourned, and was never afterwards 
 convoked. The first Provincial Congress, consisting of delegates 
 from the several counties, assembled in their stead on the 20tli 
 of April, and appointed five delegates to the first Continental 
 Congress, which convened at Philadelphia in the ensuing month. 
 
 Recommendation of a Geneva! ronii'css. — Second Cfilonial Congress. — ■ 
 Declaration of Rights. — Xon-importation league. — Assembly. — First 
 Provincial Congress. — First Continental Congress. 
 
THE REVOLUTIOXARY WAR. 95 
 
 12. On the 2 2d of May the Provincial Congress, consisting of 
 about seventy members, again convened at New Yorli. Two 
 regiments Viere authorized to be raised ; bounties were offered 
 for the manufacture of gunpowder and muskets ; fortifications 
 at Kingsbridge and the Highlands were projected, and Philip 
 Schuyler and Richard Montgomery were recommended to the 
 Continental Congi-ess as Major and Brigadier Generals. After 
 delegating their powers to a committee of safety they ad- 
 journed early in September. 
 
 13. A short time previous to these events the seventy-four- 
 gun ship Asia had been ordered from Boston and anchored off 
 the Battery, with her guns pointed against the city. The re- 
 moval of the troops to Boston, preparatory to a large reinforce- 
 ment, rendered the erection of additional barracks in that citj' 
 necessary, for which the mutinous inhabitants declined furnish- 
 ing the requisite materials. New York was applied to for aid ; 
 but the vigilant Sons of Liberty peremptorily forbade any ef- 
 forts in that direction. A vessel was, however, fitted out for 
 that purpose in the harbor ; and the patriots, headed by John 
 Lamb, Marinas Willett, and Isaac Sears, resolved to seize the 
 ship and prevent her voyage. The citizens were requested to 
 provide themselves with a supply of arms and ammunition. 
 Sears, the principal instigator of this daring movement, was ar- 
 rested and brought before the Mayor, but, on his refusal to give 
 bail, was committed. On his way to prison, however, he was 
 forcibly rescued by the people, and conducted in triumph 
 through the principal streets of the city. 
 
 14. On the receipt, soon after, of intelligence of the battle of 
 Lexington, all business was at once suspended ; the patriotic 
 Sons of Liberty took possession of the City Hall, distributed 
 the arms and ammunition found there and at the arsenal 
 among the citizens, a portion of whom organized a volunteer 
 corps under the command of Samuel Broome, and assumed the 
 temporary government of the city. They obtained possession 
 of the Custom House, which they at once closed, laid an em- 
 bargo upon the English vessels in the port destined for the 
 
 Second Provincial Congress. — Arrival of the Asia. — Disturbances in 
 the citv. — Receipt of news of the battle of Lexington. — Proceedings of the 
 Sons of Liberty. 
 
96 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 eastern colonics, and relieved them of eightj' thousand pounds' 
 worth of provisions and supplies for the British army. 
 
 15. On the otli of May, a Provisional Government, consist- 
 ing of one hundred of the principal inhabitants, was organized 
 by the citizens, and the municipal affairs of the city placed 
 under their absolute control until the Continental Cougi'ess 
 should otherwise order. A large body of troops being on their 
 way to the city, Lieutenant-Governor Golden was soon after- 
 wards requested to use his influence with General Gage, then 
 in command in the city, to prevent their landing. The Con- 
 gress, however, recommended that permission for their land- 
 ing should not be withheld, while no fortification should be al- 
 lowed to be constructed, and all warlike stores be removed from 
 the town, and a safe retreat provided for the women and chil- 
 dren in the event of a siege. 
 
 16. In the mean time the patriots under the direction of 
 their daring leader, John Lamb, having procured a vessel from 
 Connecticut, had taken possession of a quantity of military 
 stores belonging to the royal troops, at Turtle Bay, near the 
 foot of the present Forty-Seventh Street on the Hudson, a 
 portion of which was despatched to the army at Cambridge, and 
 the residue reserved for future use. Some other demonstrations 
 of the popular feeling occurring soon after, the Provisional Con- 
 gress requested General Woostcr to take up his head-quarters 
 near the city, where he accordingly, early in June, encamped 
 with his troops at Harlem. 
 
 1 7. The royal troops, having been soon afterwards ordered to 
 repair to Boston, were permitted by the Provisional Government 
 to depart, with the stipulation that they should take nothing 
 with them but their own arms and accoutrements. Disregard- 
 ing this express restriction, they proceeded to the place of em- 
 barkation in Broad Street with a large quantity of military 
 stores belonging to the citj-. Here, however, they were met by 
 Colonel Marinus Willett and John Morin Scott, who, notwith- 
 standing the opposition of their leader and the remonstrances 
 of tlie Mayor and Gouvernenr !Mon-is, who supposed full permis- 
 
 rrovision.il Government of the city. — I'iitriofie demonstrations. — Cap- 
 ture of .Tmmiinitinn nt Tiirtle Bay. — General Wooster encamps at Har- 
 lem. — Embarkation of the royal troops for Boston. 
 
ETHAN ALLEN AT TICONDEROGA. 97 
 
 sion had been given by the authorities, succeeded with the aid 
 of the citizens, who had by this time assembled, in turning them 
 back, and regainnig the arms. Having secured the stores in a 
 safe place, the soldiers were escorted to the wharf, where they 
 embarked amid the hisses and execrations of the crowd. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Capture of Ticoxderoga and Crown Point. — Washington as- 
 SU.ME? Command of the Army. — Governor Tryon's Abdication. 
 — Invasion of Canada. — Siege of Quebec and Death of Mont- 
 gomery. 
 
 1. On the morning of the 10th of May, 1775, Colonel 
 Ethan Allen of Vermont, aided by Captain Benedict 
 Arnold, having with a force of eighty-three men crossed over 
 Lake Champlain from the Vermont shore during the preced- 
 ing night, attacked the strong fortifications of Ticonderoga, and, 
 after a brief conflict with the surprised garrison, demanded and 
 effected its surrender " in the name of the Great Jehovah and 
 the Continental Congress." One hundred and eighty-two can- 
 non and a large quantity of military stores were captured with 
 the gan-ison, as the result of this bold and daring enterprise. 
 On the succeeding day. Colonel Seth Warner, of Vermont, ob- 
 tained possession of Crown Point, with its garrison and a hun- 
 dred and eleven pieces of artillerj'. This gallant enterprise 
 seems to have been originally suggested by Colonel John Brown 
 of Massachusetts. 
 
 2. On the 25th of June, eight days after the battle of 
 Bunker Hill, 'Washington, having been commissioned by the 
 Continental Congress as Commander-in-Chief of the American 
 armies, passed through New York on his way to his head- 
 quarters at Cambridge, whither he was escorted by the provin- 
 cial militia, and where, on the 3d of July, he assumed the com- 
 mand. Trj-on on the morning of the daj^ Washington left the 
 city resumed his official duties as Governor, and was accorded a 
 
 Recapture of arms bj- tlie citizens. — Capture of Ticonderoga and Crown 
 Point — Washington assumes command of the army. — Return of Gov- 
 ernor Trvon. 
 
98 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 favorable reception by the Mayor and Corporation ; although 
 such was the changed sentiment of the city, that, while nom- 
 inally according him all the respect due to his position, the 
 Provincial Congress in their midst secured their ready and im- 
 plicit obedience. 
 
 3. Three thousand men were ordered by the Continental Con- 
 gress to be raised by the colony of New York as her qxiota 
 of the troops for the public defence. Four regiments were ac- 
 cordingly raised under the authority of the Provincial Congress, 
 and placed under the command of Colonel Alexander McDou- 
 gall, Gozen Van Schaick, James Clinton, and Colonel Holmes. 
 John Lamb was appointed to the command of an artillery and 
 Marinus Willett of an infantry company. Sears and others of 
 the " Liberty Boys " joined the ranks. 
 
 4. The Provincial Congress, desiring the guns of the fort 
 on the Battery for the fortifications of the Highlands, and re- 
 garding their present position as unfavorable to the patriotic 
 cause, directed their removal accordingly. Captain Lamb, on 
 the night of the 23d of August, proceeded to the execution 
 of this order with a party of the Sons of Liljerty and a number 
 of citizens, including Alexander Hamilton. While thus engaged 
 a shot was fired from a barge of the ship-of-war Asia, stationed 
 near the shore ; and on the fire being returned by Lamb, killing 
 one of the crew and w^onnding several others, a heavy can- 
 nonade was opened upon the town b}' the ship, inflicting con- 
 siderable damage upon the buildings near the Battery and 
 severely wounding some of the inhabitants. The Liberty Boys, 
 undismayed by this formidable attack, coolly persevered in their 
 work until it was completed and the guns safely removed. 
 
 5. The commander of the Asia, on the ensuing daj', for- 
 warded a despatch to the Mayor, demanding satisfaction for 
 the murder of one of his crew. A desultory correspondence 
 followed the receipt of this demand, when the Provincial Con- 
 gress put an end to it by declaring that, as the Asia had seen 
 fit to cannonade the city, she must henceforth obtain her sup- 
 
 Org-anization of four regiments as the quota of New York. — Removal of 
 the ^uns on the Battery. — Cannonade of the city by tlie Asia sloop-of- 
 war — Disposition of the demands for satisfaction of the cannonade of the 
 Asia. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 99 
 
 plies from some other source. Meanwhile the Governor, finding 
 his position growing daily more unsatisfactory and perilous, de- 
 termined to abandon the city, and took refuge on board the 
 Asia. His organ and that of the royalists — Rivington's New 
 York Gazette — having excited the ire of the patriots. Captain 
 Sears, with a party of light-horse, on the 4th of December 
 proceeded to its demolition, destroying the press and scattering 
 the types. The proprietor sailed for England, whence, how- 
 ever, on the occupation of the city by the British troops, he 
 returned and resumed the publication of his journal. 
 
 6. On the 27th of June the Continental Congress directed 
 General Philip Schuyler to repair to Ticonderoga, and in con- 
 junction with Colonels Arnold and Hinman to place the fortifica- 
 tions at that post in a complete state of defence, and afterwards, 
 if found practicable, to take military possession of St. John's, 
 Montreal, or any other portions of Canada which he might deem 
 important to the interests of the colonies. Schuyler, under 
 these instructions, reached Ticonderoga on the 18th of July, 
 and, after making suitable provisions for its defence, despatched 
 an agent to Canada to ascertain the disposition of the inhab- 
 itants, and the number and condition of the royal forces. 
 
 7. General Montgomery, with a force of twelve hundred men, 
 left Crown Point on the 31st of August, and being joined on 
 the 4th of September by Schuyler, with about a thousand 
 troops, the latter advanced on the 6th against St. John's, but, 
 meeting with a formidable opposition, withdrew and re-embarked 
 his troops on the succeeding morning. Having been reinforced 
 by seven hundred men from New York and Connecticut, a 
 second attempt upon St. John's was made, under the command 
 of Montgomery on the 1 0th, which was again frustrated by the 
 cowardice of the troops. General Schuyler being compelled by 
 sickness to return to Ticonderoga, Montgomery assumed the 
 command of the expedition on the 16th, and on the same day 
 was joined by Colonel Seth Warner, with one hundred and 
 seventy Green Mountain boys. On the 1 9th of October the 
 fort at Chambly, twelve miles below St. John's, was captured by 
 Majors Brown and Livingston. 
 
 Governor Tryon's abdioation. — Demolition of Rivington's press. — Prep- 
 arations for an invasion of Canada. 
 
100 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 8. It was not, however, until the 2d of November, that 
 St. John's was sun-endered, after a series of misfortunes and 
 miscarriages wliich would have discouraged a less determined 
 spirit. Five hundred regulars and one hundred Canadians, with 
 forty pieces of artillery and a quantity of naval stores, fell into 
 the hands of the victors. Two parties sent to the relief of the 
 fort by General Carleton, the British commander, one of which 
 was headed by himself, were defeated by Colonel AVarner and 
 Majors Brown and Livingston. JIajor John Andre, whose subse- 
 quent history is w^ell known, was one of the prisoners taken at 
 the fort. Colonel Allen, in the mean time, acting wholly with- 
 out authority from Schuyler or Montgomery, had involved him- 
 self in a series of disastrous failures in an attack upon Mon- 
 treal, resulting in his capture and prolonged imprisonment. 
 
 9. General Montgomery then proceeded to Montreal, which 
 city, after intercepting and defeating a strong naval and military 
 force under the command of Generals Carleton and Prescott, 
 was surrendered to him on the 12th of November. In the 
 mean time General Washington had, about the middle of Sep- 
 tember, despatched Arnold with a force of about two thousand 
 men, hy the route of the Kennebec River, against Quebec. 
 After incredible hardships and fatigue the troops reached Point 
 Levi, opposite the city, on the 8th of November, and, having 
 been strengthened by the aiTival of reinforcements from St. 
 John's, crossed the river on the 13th, and were drawn up on the 
 Plains of Abraham, where they awaited the answer of the garri- 
 son to their repeated demands for surrender. 
 
 10. Learning, however, of thq approach of an armed vessel 
 to the relief of the city, Arnold on the 1 9th withdrew his forces 
 a short distance up the river, to await the arrival of Montgom- 
 ery, who on the 3d of December joined him with a strong rein- 
 forcement. The combined army immediately moved down the 
 river to Quebec, and on the next day took up their position op- 
 posite the city, where vigorous preparations had been made by 
 Carleton, who had escaped from Montreal, for their reception. 
 A spirited but ineffectual bombardment was kept up for several 
 days by the besiegers, when on the 16th a definitive plan of 
 
 Siege nnd capture of St. John's. — Disastrous expedition of Allen. — 
 Siege of Quebec by Arnold and Montgomery. 
 
CAPTURE OF QUEBEC. 101 
 
 operations was arranged by Montgomery for a final and decisive 
 assault. 
 
 11. In consequence, however, of the treachery of deserters, 
 a change in this plan became necessai-y. Major Brown and 
 Colonel Livingston were intrusted with the execution of two 
 feints on the upper town ; Arnold, with Lamb's artillery, was 
 ordered to attack the suburbs on the north ; while Montgomery 
 in person was to attack the lower town, with the consolidated 
 forces, upon their junction. 
 
 12. At five o'clock in the morning of the last day of Decem- 
 ber, in the midst of a furious storm of wind and snow, the 
 troops took up their respective lines of march. Montgomery, at 
 the head of his detachment, descended from the Heights of 
 Abraham toward the lower town, where, encountering a block- 
 house of hewed logs, flanked by a strong stockade, with his 
 own hand he sawed off the posts of the latter, and at the head 
 of his party entered the opening. At that moment the occu- 
 pants of the block-house discharged against the assailants a 
 three-pounder loaded with gTape, instantly killing every person 
 who had entered, with the exception of the French guide, in- 
 cluding General Montgomery and both his aids. The remainder 
 of the party, appalled by this disaster, immediately fell back 
 hastily and retreated to their quarters. 
 
 13. Meanwhile the intrepid Arnold led his men through 
 a succession of heavy snow-drifts to the foot of the cliff on 
 the St. Lawrence, where a battery was erected for the defence 
 of the suburbs. Advancing to its attack at the head of his 
 troops, he was disabled by a musket-shot in the knee, and 
 conveyed from the field. Captain Morgan, assuming the com- 
 mand, carried the battery, amid a storm of musketry and 
 grape-shot, and immediately commenced an assault upon a 
 second batter}', which he also carried after a fierce contest of 
 three hours. Carleton, however, with a heavy force, now ap- 
 peared in his rear, and the gallant Morgan, finding himself un- 
 supported and surrounded was compelled to surrender, leaving 
 a hundred and fifty of his heroic band killed or wounded, and a 
 large number of prisoners, including Captain Lamb, Major Og- 
 dcn, Aaron Burr, and Captain Oswald. 
 
 Death of Montgomery, and defeat of Captain Morgan. 
 
102 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 14. General Carleton, after making suitable provision for the 
 disposition of the dead and wounded, with a chivalry which re- 
 flects high credit on his character, directed special honors to be 
 paid to the remains of his gallant enemy, General Montgomer}', 
 which were buried, under the personal superintendence of the 
 Lieutenant-Governor, within the walls of the city. Forty-two 
 years later they were removed, by order of the Legislature of 
 New York, to St. Paul's Church in the city of New York, where 
 they now repose under a monumental tablet, erected under the 
 directions of Congress as a lasting record of his bravery and 
 worth. 
 
 15. Colonel Arnold assumed the command of the remain- 
 ing troops, and having withdrawn from the immediate neigh- 
 borhood of the citj-, awaited the arrival of General Wooster, who, 
 in April of the ensuing year, renewed the siege. After a series 
 of ineffectual efforts to effect an entrance, the troops, on the 
 approach of General Burgoyne early in May, with heavy rein- 
 forcements, hastily retreated, leaving their stores and sick in the 
 hands of the enemy. Thus terminated this bold and daring 
 but disastrous invasion of Canada, — a result due more to the 
 insubordination and want of discipline of a portion of the troops, 
 the absence of necessary supplies, and the inefficiency of some 
 of the officers, than to any deficiency in its conception, or want 
 of ability or heroic bravery in its gallant commanders. 
 
 Honors to the memory of Montgomery. — Continuance of the siccre by 
 Arnold and Wooster. — Arrival of Burgoyne, and retreat of the American 
 troops. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 103 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Declaration- of Ixdepexdesce. — Investment op the City op New 
 York BY THE British. — Battle of Long Island. — Ketbeat op 
 THE Americans to Harlem Heights and Kingsbridge. — Execd- 
 TiON OF Xatiiax Hale. — Battle op White Plains. — Capture of 
 FoKTS Washington and Lee. — IIeteeai through New Jersey. 
 
 1. General Washington having, about the middle of 
 March, 1776, forced the British troops under Howe to 
 evacuate Boston, whence they sailed for Halifax, and apprehen- 
 sive of an intended attack upon New York by the forces under 
 Sir Henry C'linton, made immediate preparations for the defence 
 of that city. General Charles Lee, who had commanded the 
 American forces since the departure of Wooster in January, 
 having been ordered to Charleston, General Putnam was as- 
 signed to duty in his place. Clinton, aware of the spirited 
 preparations for his reception, passed down the harbor with his 
 troops, and proceeded south to the attack of Charleston. 
 
 2. General Washington, with the main body of his army, 
 arrived in the city in April, and proceeded to fortify the town 
 and its vicinity, together with the passes of the Highlands on the 
 Hudson. On the 25th of June General Howe appeared before 
 the city with a fleet from Halifax, and on the 2d of July took 
 possession of Staten Island on the south, where he was soon 
 after joined by his brother, Admiral Lord Howe, with a fleet and 
 a large land force from England, and by Sir Henry Clinton with 
 the troops iinder his command. 
 
 3. In the mean time a committee of Congress, consisting of 
 Thomas Jeff'erson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, 
 Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Con- 
 necticut, and Robert R. Livingston of New York, had reported 
 a Declaration of Independence, which, on the Fourth op July, 
 was unanimously adopted by the delegates of all the late Colo- 
 nies, now fonning the Thirteen United States of America. This 
 declaration was enthusiastically approved on the 9th of July by 
 
 Pvppanitions for the defence of New York. — General and Lord Howe 
 and Sir llenrv Clinton invest New York. — Declaration of Independence. 
 
104 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 the Fourth Provincial Congress of New York, at their meeting at 
 White Plains, and effective measures of defence were inaugurated. 
 
 4. The city of New York was now invested bj' a formidable 
 army of twenty-five tlioxisand veteran troops, under the com- 
 mand of an able and experienced general, and heavy reinforce- 
 ments from England and the Continent were daily expected. 
 By the possession of the city, with its harbor and adjacent 
 islands, and the consequent command of the Hudson, a free 
 communication with Canada was expected to be secured, and 
 the separation of the Eastern from the !Middle States effected. 
 To meet this powerful force, Washington had at his command an 
 undisciplined militia of about seventeen thousand effective men. 
 
 5. Sevei'al abortive efforts at accommodation having been 
 made by the British commanders, a force of ten thousand men, 
 with forty pieces of artillery, were, on the 22d of August, land- 
 ed on the southern shore of Long Island, near the villages of 
 New Utrecht and Gravesend, a few miles below the city, and in 
 tliree divisions marched to the attack of the American camp at 
 Brooklyn, commanded by General Putnam, with a force of about 
 five thousand men. The left division of the British army, under 
 General Grant, took the route by the Narrows towards Gowanus ; 
 the right, under Generals Clinton and Cornwallis, that lead- 
 ing to the interior of the island, and intersecting the road 
 leading from Bedford to Jamaica ; and the central division, 
 under De Heister, chiefly composed of Hessians, that by the vil- 
 lage of Flatbush, on the south of the range of hills connecting 
 the Narrows with Jamaica. 
 
 6. On the morning of the 27th, Clinton, advancing from Flat- 
 lands, had succeeded in gaining possession of the Jamaica pass, 
 near the site of the present East New York, intrusted to the 
 command of General SuUivan, and, with his entire force, de- 
 scended, by the village of Bedford, into the plain between the 
 hills and the American camp. Grant, moving along the shores 
 of the baj-, attacked Lord Stirling on the present site of the 
 Greenwood Cemetery. De Heister, advancing on the Flatbush 
 road, the patrols assigned to guard the passes having been rash- 
 Approved Ijy Provincial Conjrress at While I'laiiis. — Plan of the cam- 
 paign. — Forces of the combatants. — Battle of Long Island. — Disposition 
 of the forces. 
 
BROOKLYX AXD HARLEM HEIGHTS. 105 
 
 ly withdrawn by Putnam's order, engaged Sullivan, while Clinton 
 gained a position in his rear. Sullivan immediately ordered a 
 retreat to the American lines at Brooklyn ; but being pressed 
 by Clinton and driven back upon the Hessians, after losing a 
 great portion of his force, he was compelled to surrender. 
 
 7. Cornwallis, in the mean while, taking the road to Gowanus, 
 attacked Stii-ling, who was made prisoner, together with most of 
 his command, manj- of their number having been drowned while 
 attempting to escape across the Gowanus Creek. The victory on 
 the part of the British was decisive. Five hundred Americans 
 wore killed or wounded, and upwards of a thousand taken pris- 
 oners and confined in the prison-ships at New York, where, for 
 a long period, they endured extreme hardships and privations. 
 The British loss was comparatively trifling. On the night of 
 the 29th, Washington silently, and under cover of the darkness 
 and a thick mist, drew off the remainder of his troops to New 
 York, unperceivcd by the enemy. 
 
 8. On the 12th of Sejjtember, Washington, with the broken 
 and dispirited remainder of his forces, retreated to Harlem 
 Heights on the upper part of the island, where he fortified him- 
 self and awaited the attack of the British. With the view of 
 obtaining authentic information of their movements, Nathan 
 Hale, a young officer in Colonel Knowlton's regiment, was de- 
 spatched to the enemy's camp on Long Island, in disguise. 
 After possessing himself of full intelligence of their strength and 
 plans, he was intercepted on his return and conveyed to General 
 Howe's head-cjuarters, then in New York, where he was tried 
 and convicted as a spy, and executed at daybreak on the ensu- 
 ing morning, with circumstances of contumely and insult reflect- 
 ing deep disgrace on their heartless agents. 
 
 9. In the mean time, under cover of the fire of the British 
 ships, Howe, on the I5th, landed at Kip's Bay, at the foot of 
 the present Thirty-Sixth Street on the East River, driving before 
 him two brigades of Connecticut militia stationed in the neigh- 
 borhood for its defence, to the intense and passionate indigna- 
 
 Defeat of the Americans. — Witlulrawal of the troops to New York. — 
 Retreat to Harlem Heichts. — Arrest and execntion of Nathan Hale as a 
 spy. — Howe effects a landing at Kip's Bay. — Cowardly retreat of Connec- 
 ticut troops. 
 
106 FIFTH PKhlUli. 
 
 tion of Washington, who arrived on the ground just in season to 
 ■witness, without being able to prevent, their ignominious flight. 
 Seeing that further occupation of the island was impracticable, 
 Putnam received orders to evacuate the city, and the troops at 
 Harlem were removed to Kingsbridge, at its upper extremity. 
 Silliman's brigade, which by some mischance had been left be- 
 hind, was extricated from its perilous position by the bravery 
 and address of Colonel Burr, then an aid of Putnam's. On the 
 next day a severe skirmish ensued between the contending 
 forces at Harlem, in which the Americans were victorious, with 
 the loss of two brave officers, — Colonel Knowlton of Connec- 
 ticut and Major Leitch of Virginia. 
 
 1 0. General Howe, with the design of gaining the rear of the 
 American army, leaving a strong force in possession of the city, 
 and sending three armed vessels up the Hudson to intercept all 
 communication with New Jersey, transferred the main portion 
 of his forces, now amounting to 35,000 men, to a point in West- 
 chester County, in the vicinity of Throg's Neck on the Sound, 
 sixteen miles north of the citj'. Washington, comprehending 
 his designs, and leaving a gairison of three thousand men in 
 Fort Washington on the Hudson, under command of Colonel 
 Magaw, withdrew the residue of his forces to White Plains, on the 
 left bank of the Bronx Eiver. 
 
 11. Here the American army took post on the high grounds 
 northwest and northeast of the village, and on the lower ground 
 between, extending from the Bronx on the right to Horton's 
 (now Willett's) Pond, on the left, having the village in their front, 
 and the rocky height known as Chatterton's Hill on the south- 
 west, separated from the right of the lines by a narrow marsh, 
 through which the river flowed. The enemy, meanwhile, having 
 advanced to Scarsdale, within four miles of White Plains, where 
 they remained for three days, marched, on the morning of the 
 28th of October, in two columns, to the attack, General Clinton 
 with the British troops commanding the right, and General Howe, 
 with the Hessians under De Heister, having charge of the left. 
 
 12. Driving before them the pickets and advance parties, 
 
 T\'ashinjrton's indijrnation. — Evacuation of the city. — Skilful extrica- 
 tion of Silliman's hrisado. — Skirmish at Harlem. — Advance of the 
 British to Throij's Xi'ck. — Retreat of Washington to White Plains. 
 
Tin: REroLVTiosAnY war. 107 
 
 the division of De Heister encountered at Hart's Corners, about 
 a mile south of the lines, a battalion of two thousand Ameri- 
 can troops, under General Spencer, who gave them a temporary 
 check. The}- speedily rallied, however, and gained a position 
 south of Chatterton's Hill, in front of which intrenchments had 
 been hastily thrown up by the Americans, and placed in charge 
 of General ^McDougall, at the head of his brigade. Colonel 
 Haslett's Delaware regiment, which had been ordered to his sup- 
 port, was thrown into confusion by the Hessian fire, and replaced 
 by the Maryland and one of the New York regiments on the 
 extreme right of the line. 
 
 13. General Howe, abandoning his original intention of at- 
 tacking the main body on the heights and plains north of the 
 village, concentrated his force against McDougall. A sharp 
 cannonading was kept up for upwards of an hour. The enemy, 
 in three divisions, steadily ascended the hill, attacking simul- 
 taneously the regiments stationed on its southern and northern 
 slope and on the summit, as well as the right flank which was 
 assailed by the Hessians. An attempt to turn McDougall's left 
 was promptly defeated. After an obstinate contest. General 
 JIcDougalFs troops were forced to give way, with the loss of 
 about sixty men killed and an equal mmiber wounded, with forty 
 prisoners. The remainder of the force retreated in good order. 
 
 U. On the ensuing night. General Washington drew back his 
 lines, ordered fresh reinforcements, and so strengthened his 
 position that no renewal of the attack was attempted. On the 
 ■Slst he retired to North Castle, about two miles north, where 
 he remained until early in November, when the enemy withdrew 
 their forces to Kingshridge, preparatory to a contemplated attack 
 on Fort Washington, which was speedily invested. 
 
 15. This important fortress occupied a prominent position on 
 the Hudson River, between the present One Hundred and Eighty- 
 First and One Hundred and Eighty-Sixth Streets, the highest 
 point on the island, and completely commanding the navigation of 
 the river. It was supported and defended by a series of strong 
 redoubts, batteries, and other -works, on the north and south, 
 extending across the entire island at that point, covering the 
 
 Battle of White Plains. 
 
108 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 Harlem River, and that portion of Westchester County between 
 its eastern shore and Long Island Sound. 
 
 16. General Knyphausen, with a large body of Hessian and 
 English troops, amounting in all to five thousand men, attacked 
 the fort on the 16th of J^ovember, which, after a gallant defence 
 by the garrison, under Colonel Magaw, w^ith about three thousand 
 men, was compelled to surrender, with the loss of fifty men killed 
 and about one hundred wounded, the remainder being captured. 
 Two days aftem-ards. Fort Lee, on the opposite shore of the Hud- 
 son, fell into the hands of Lord Comwallis, with its garrison of 
 six thousand men, and a quantity of baggage and military stores. 
 And the remainder of the American army fell back through New 
 Jersey to Trenton, where, on the 8th of December, they crossed 
 the Delaware into Pennsylvania. 
 
 1 7. Events, meanwhile, of considerable importance, were trans- 
 piring on the northern frontier. General Gates, — to whom the 
 command of the troops lately engaged in the disastrous expedi- 
 tion against Canada had been assigned, — apprehensive of an im- 
 mediate attempt to recapture Crown Point and Ticonderoga, 
 abandoning the former by the advice of a council of officers, 
 concentrated his forces at the latter point, where in August 
 he constructed a squadron of small vessels, and placed them 
 on Lake Champlain under the command of General Arnold. 
 Carleton, on learning this intelligence, made similar preparations 
 on his part to counteract the movement, whatever it might por- 
 tend, and anchored his squadron opposite St. John's. Arnold, 
 unaware of the strength of his opponent, fell back from his 
 position opposite Crown Point to Valcour's Island, a short dis- 
 tance south of Plattsburg, where he anchored his fleet across 
 the narrow channel between the island and the western shore 
 of the lake, and awaited Carleton's approach. 
 
 18. On the morning of the 1 1th of October the enemy's 
 squadron, consisting of a very superior force in ships, schooners, 
 soldiers, and seamen, appeared off Cumberland Head to the 
 northward, and, sweeping around the southerly jjoint of Valcour's 
 Island, took up a position directly south of the American fleet. 
 
 Capture of Forts Washington and Lcc. — Retreat of the American army 
 through Xew Jersey to Pennsylvania. — Naval combat on Lake Champlain 
 between tlie British and American fleets. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 109 
 
 Arnold immediately prepared for action, and at about eleven 
 o'clock his schooner — the Royal Savage — and a few of the small 
 boats got under way, the residue of the squadron remaining at 
 anchor. The schooner was speedily disabled by the enemy's 
 guns, and, to prevent her falling into his hands, run ashore by 
 her captain and burnt. The action was continued with round 
 and gxape shot, on both sides, until night separated the com- 
 batants. 
 
 19. So severe were the injuries sustained by the American 
 squadron in this desperate engagement, that an immediate 
 return to Crown Point was deemed advisable; and notwith- 
 standing the proximity of the enemy's vessels in their front, 
 aided by the darkness of the night and the presence of a heavy 
 fog, they succeeded in passing through the fleet undiscovered, 
 and in reaching Schuyler's Island, ten miles distant, where they 
 stopped for a short time for repairs. Resuming their course, and 
 closely pursued by their disappointed adversaries, they reached 
 Willsborough, about thirty miles north of Crown Point, on 
 the morning of the 13th, and were shortly afterwards overtaken 
 by the enemy's fleet, favored by a fresh northeasterly breeze. 
 
 20. The schooner Washington, which was first overtaken, 
 after sustaining with great gallantry the fire of three of the 
 British vessels, struck her colors, and General Waterbury and his 
 men, who were on board, were taken prisoners. The Congress 
 was next attacked, and sustained for five hours a spirited but 
 unequal contest against a vastly superior force, when, having 
 become a complete wreck, with her sails, rigging, and hull torn 
 to shreds, Arnold run her into a creek on the eastern shore of 
 the lake, and set her on fire, with the remaining boats by which 
 he was accompanied. He then, after witnessing the completion 
 of his work, marched his men through the woods to Chimney 
 Point, reaching Crown Point at an early hour on the ensuing 
 morning. 
 
 21. Of the fleet with which he sailed from Crown Point a 
 few days before, only two schooners, a sloop, two galleys, and a 
 gondola remained. The prisoners captured from the Wash- 
 ington were released on parole, and returned to Crown Point on 
 
 The American fleet disabled. — Its retreat and pursuit. — Return to 
 Crown Point. 
 
110 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 the next day. General Arnold was highly complimented in all 
 quarters for his skill, bravery, and persistent courage in the face 
 of so great odds ; and the result of the combat was hailed as 
 indicative of future naval triumphs on the part of the Ameri- 
 cans, under less adverse circumstances. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 First State Constitution. — George Clinton elected Goterxor. 
 — Barbarous Treatment of Prisoners in the City of New 
 York. — Burgotne's Campaign. — Murder of Jane McCrka. — 
 Battle of Oriskant. 
 
 1. Meanwhile the city of New York became, from the period 
 of its occupation by the English troops, the head-quarters 
 of the British army, under the command of General Howe. 
 
 The patriotic inhabitants — such of them, at least, as had 
 escaped capture and imprisonment — were compelled to aban- 
 don their abodes, which were occupied chiefly by officers of the 
 army and hosts of Tories from the neighboring counties. The 
 Provincial Congress adjourned to Kingston and other towns on 
 the Hudson, where, in conjunction with delegates from the in- 
 terior, they established a committee of safety, with John Jay at 
 its head, and by spirited and patriotic addresses encouraged 
 resistance to the common enemy. Westchester and Rockland, 
 known as the neutral ground, were infested by " Cow-Boys " and 
 " Skinners," — the former avowed Tories, and the latter indif- 
 ferent to any principle other than plunder. 
 
 2. In March, 1777, General Howe despatched a strong force 
 up the Hudson for the capture of the military stores of the 
 Americans at Peekskill, which, on their approach, were promptly 
 destroyed by the defenders under the command of General Mc- 
 Dougall, and the party, without accomplishing their object, 
 returned to New York. A short time afterwards Colonel 
 Meigs, with one hundred and twenty men, attacked a British 
 post at Sag Harbor, on the eastern extremity of Long Island, 
 
 Result of the conflict. — Occupation of New York. — The neutral ground. 
 — Military stores at Peekskill. — Attack on Sag Harbor. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. \\\ 
 
 burned several vessels, store-houses, &c., and took ninety 
 prisoners, for which he received the thanks of Congress. 
 
 3. In April of this year, a Convention of delegates, represent- 
 ing the several counties of the State, assembled at Kingston and 
 formed the first State Constitution. By its provisions a Gov- 
 ernor was to be elected by the people for a term of three years, 
 and the legislative department vested in a Senate and Assem- 
 bly, deriving their power from the same source. All inferior 
 offices were to be filled by the Governor and a council of four 
 senators, — one from each district ; and to a Council of Revision, 
 similarly constituted, was assigned the power to pass upon the 
 validity and constitutionality of legislative acts. George 
 CnxTOX, of .Orange County, already favorably distinguished for 
 his patriotism and public and private worth, was elected Gov- 
 ernor. John Jay was appointed Chief-Justice ; Robert R. 
 Livingston, Chancellor ; and Philip Livingston, James Duane, 
 Francis Lewis, and Gouvemeur Morris, delegates to the Con- 
 tinental Congress. 
 
 4. During this period, and until nearly the conclusion of the 
 war, the niunerous prisons in the city of New York, and the 
 prison-ships in its vicinity, were crowded with captives, whose 
 ill-treatment and sufferings reflected a lasting disgrace upon the 
 vile instruments by whom they were inflicted and upon the 
 nation which permitted them. The City Hall, the Bridewell, 
 situated on the Commons, the new jail in the Provost, many of 
 the churches, the old Sugar-House, built in the days of Leisler, 
 and other public buildings, were transformed into receptacles for 
 the captured soldiers. 
 
 5. The Jersey prison-ship, and numerous other vessels in the 
 bay, rivers, and harbor, were converted into loathsome dungeons 
 for the sailors. The former, under the supervision of the in- 
 famous Provost-Marshal Cunningham, with his assistants, depu- 
 ties, and commissaries, were subjected to the most inhuman 
 and incredible barbarities ; while the latter were huddled together 
 in vast numbers in crowded hulks and miserable cabins, suffering 
 all the horrors of pestilence, starvation, and tyrannical barbarity. 
 
 Constitutional Convention. — Election of Governor and appointment of 
 State officers and Congressional delegates. — Barbarous treatment of 
 prisoners. — The Sugar-House and Jersey prison-ship. 
 
112 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 In one church eight hundred prisoners were incarcerated, of 
 whom manj- died from sheer want of the necessaries of life, ill- 
 treatment, and neglect ; and in another three thousand were 
 crowded together, large numbers of whom perished from disease 
 and violence. 
 
 6. The atrocities which have consigned the memory of the 
 old Sugar House to an eternal infamy were of a still deeper 
 dye, and their horrible and revolting details are equalled only 
 by the annals of the Bastile and the dungeon vaults of the 
 European feudal ages. But even these were surpassed, if pos- 
 sible, in cruelty and criminality, in the Provost Jail, under the 
 immediate charge of Cunningham, where the most brutal and 
 barbarous treatment to prisoners of distinction of every grade 
 was of daily occurrence. On board the prison-ships the same 
 systematic outrages against the commonest dictates of human- 
 ity were continually perpetrated ; nor did they cease, in these 
 or the other prisons, notwithstanding the constant remonstrances 
 of Washington, until the close of the war. 
 
 7. In accordance with the original design of separating the 
 eastern and northern colonies from the southern and western 
 by the occupancy of the Hudson River, General Burgoyne, in 
 command of an army of seven thousand men, consisting of 
 English, Germans, Canadians, and Indians, established himself, 
 on the 16th of June, 1777, at Crown Point, and from that point 
 proceeded on the 2d of July to invest Ticonderoga, sending out 
 a detachment of about two thousand Canadians and Indians, 
 by way of Oswego, to attack Fort Schuyler on the Mohawk. 
 
 8. General St. Clair, who commanded the post at Ticonderoga, 
 with a force of about three thousand men, finding himself un- 
 able to hold the outworks against the superior forces brought to 
 bear against him, withdrew to the defences of the fort. The 
 British troops took post on the northwest ; their German allies 
 on the opposite side of the lake in the rear of Mount Indepen- 
 dence, occupied by the Americans ; while Mount Defiance, on 
 the southern side of the outlet, which commanded the entire 
 position, had been left unfortified from inability to furnish it 
 with an effective garrison. 
 
 9. The British immediately availed themselves of this omis- 
 
 Plan and objects of the campaign. — Attack on Ticonderoga. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 113 
 
 BTon by planting their artillery on the summit of this height, at 
 the distance of about a mile from the fort ; and St. Clair, at 
 once perceiving the futility of further resistance, evacuated the 
 works on the evening of the 5th of July, crossed over to Mount 
 Independence, and, sending his ammunition and stores to 
 Slienesborough, a few miles up the lake, commenced his re- 
 treat to Fort Edward. 
 
 10. His movements, however, having been discovered by the 
 enemy, through the accidental burning of a building on Mount In- 
 dependence, he was pursued, his baggage, stores, and provisions 
 seized and destroyed, and his rear division, under Colonel Seth 
 Warner, overtaken at Hubbardton in Vermont, and, after a 
 severe engagement, routed and dispersed. The victors, on the 
 7th of July, returned in triumph to Ticonderoga, over which 
 the British flag was floating, while the dispirited remnant of 
 the Americans, five days afterwards, reached General Schuy- 
 ler's camp at Fort Edward. 
 
 11. That officer, finding himself unable to maintain his posi- 
 tion with a very inferior force against a victorious adversary, 
 sent a strong party to obstruct the route of the invaders, while 
 he slowly retreated, with the residue of his command, down the 
 valley of the Hudson to the mouth of the Mohawk. Here, with 
 the aid of the distinguished Count Kosciusko, who was attached 
 to his staff as engineer, he erected a series of strong intrench- 
 ments in the neighborhood of Cohoes Falls, and, reinforced by 
 a large body of New England troops under General Lincoln, 
 awaited, with an army of thirteen thousand men, the approach 
 of the enemy. 
 
 1 2. Genei'al Burgoyne's march to Fort Edward was seriously 
 impeded by the numerous obstructions thrown in his path by the 
 party sent out to Skenesborough by Schuyler, and it was not 
 until the 30th of July that his army, nearly destitute of provis- 
 ions and exhausted by fatigue, reached their destination. On this 
 march cccuiTcd the lamentable tragedy of the murder of Jane 
 McCrea, a J'oung woman consigned by her betrothed to a party 
 of Indians belonging to the British army, for conveyance from 
 
 Retreat of St. Clair. — Retreat of General Schuyler. — Concentration of 
 troops at the mouth of the Mohawk. — Kosciusko. — Murder of Jane 
 llcCrea. 
 
 8 
 
11 4: FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 Fort Edward to the British camp. The circumstances under 
 ^vhich the murder was committed are involved in considerable 
 obscurity ; but there seems to be little doubt that the hapless 
 girl was brutally shot down in a quarrel among her savage 
 guides for the reward offered for her transmission to the camp. 
 
 13. On the 2d and 3d of August, Fort Schuyler, situated 
 on the site of the present village of Rome, on the Mohawk, 
 had been invested by a detachment of Burgoyne's army, com- 
 manded by St. Leger, numbering some seventeen hundred men, 
 and consisting of a large number of Mohawk Indians under 
 Brant, and of American Tories under Sir William Johnson and 
 the infamous Butler. On the morning of the 4th active hostili- 
 ties commenced, and were continued on the 5th. The fort was 
 commanded by Colonel Peter Gansevoort. General Herkimer, 
 with a force of about eight hundred men, marched to his relief, 
 accompanied by Thomas Spencer, the faithful sachem of the 
 Oneidas. Crossing the Mohawk at the present site of Utica, 
 they encamped on the 5th at Oriskany, near the present village 
 of Whitesborough, from whence General Herkimer sent mes- 
 sengers to apprise Colonel Gansevoort of their approach, and to 
 concert measures of co-operation. 
 
 14. In consequence of the reckless impetuosity of the troops 
 under his command and their entire disregard of discipline, 
 Herkimer, seconded by Spencer and some of his most experienced 
 officers, was desirous of remaining in his present camp until the 
 arrival of reinforcements, or intelligence from the fort. The 
 junior officers, however, strongly remonstrated against all delay, 
 and an angry altercation ensued, in the coxirse of which General 
 Herkimer was stigmatized as a coward and a Tory. His indig- 
 nant reply was a peremptory order to " March on ! " and the 
 command was immediately obeyed with the utmost precipitation 
 and disorder, taking care, however, to send out an advanced 
 guard and flanking parties to guard against surprise. 
 
 15. St. Leger having received information of his approach, 
 sent forward a detachment under the command of Sir John 
 Johnson, including the entire body of Indians, headed by Brant, 
 to intercept his progress. At about two miles west of Oris- 
 kany an ambuscade was prepared by Brant along the margin 
 
 Attack upon Fort Schuyler. — Battle of Oriskany. 
 
TEE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 115 
 
 of a deep ravine, through which the advancing party were com- 
 pelled to pass, and into which, followed by their baggage- 
 wagons, they passed, and were immediately surrounded and 
 hemmed in by their savage foe, shouting the war-whoop and 
 pouring in upon their disorderly and panic-stricken columns 
 a torrent of rifle-balls. The rear-guard, cut oif from their ad- 
 vancing comrades, fled with precipitation, closely pursued by 
 the Indians, by whom they were severely harassed, while the 
 main body, recovering from their surprise, maintained the un- 
 equal contest with the skill and desperation of veterans. 
 
 1 6. Early in the action. General Herkimer was severely wound- 
 ed by a musket-ball, which killed his horse and shattered his 
 own leg. At his request he was placed upon his saddle at the 
 foot of a tree, where he coolly continued to direct the battle, 
 which raged with the utmost fury for nearly an hour, when it 
 was interrupted by a heavy thunder-storm, which enabled the 
 little band to gain a more favorable position. The struggle was 
 again renewed, and just as the Indians were beginning to give 
 way before the skilful and persistent attacks of the Americans, 
 a reinforcement of Tories was sent by St. Leger to their relief, 
 and the hand-to-hand contest continued with increased deter- 
 mination and ferocity on both sides. 
 
 17. The signal guns from the fort now announced a sortie 
 from the garrison, which had been previously concerted by Gen- 
 eral Herkimer, and, a riise of Butler's for deceiving the Ameri- 
 cans by the appearance of relief having been detected, the Tory 
 reinforcement were driven from their ground with great slaughter, 
 followed by their associates and the Indians, who, perceiving the 
 retreat of their allies, immediately fled in every direction, leav- 
 ing the heroic band, after a contest of eight hours' duration, in 
 possession of the field. 
 
 18. Meanwhile the detachment from the fort, under the com- 
 mand of Colonel Marinus Willett, made an impetuous attack 
 upon St. Leger's advanced guard, and speedily succeeded in 
 gaining possession of his camp, military stores, and baggage, 
 without the loss of a single man, driving the Indians into the 
 woods and compelling Johnson to a hasty retreat. Five British 
 standards were captured and immediately hoisted on the flag- 
 Indian ambuscade. 
 
116 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 stuff of the fort, under the American colors. The siege was con- 
 tinued until the 22d, when the appearance of General Arnold 
 with reinforcements from Schuyler induced the prompt with- 
 drawal of the British and their savage allies. General Herkimer 
 soon after died from the efi'ects of his wound. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 First axd Secoxd Battles of Stillwater. — Victory of thb 
 A.1IER1CAXS. — Surrender op Bdrgotne at Saratoga. 
 
 1. General Burgoyne, weakened and discouraged as he was 
 .._ by the defeat at Bennington of an expedition sent into 
 
 Vermont for supplies to his army, by the scarcity of pro- 
 visions, and by the numerous obstructions which were interposed 
 to his progress on every hand, still persisted in his determina- 
 tion to carry out the original plan of the campaign by effecting 
 a union with the forces of Lord Howe, and thereby cutting oflF 
 all communication between the eastern and the middle and 
 southern colonies. With this view, on the 13th and 14th of 
 September he crossed with his army to the western bank of the 
 Hudson, and encamped on the heights and plains of Saratoga, 
 on the ground now occupied by the village of Schuylerville, — 
 the American army being stationed in the neighborhood of 
 Stillwater, about nine miles distant. 
 
 2. On the 18th he advanced to a position within about two 
 miles from the American camp, near what is now known as 
 Wilbur's Basin, where, having strengthened himself by throwing 
 up intrenchments and redoubts, and being further protected by 
 a deep ravine in front, preparations were immediately made for 
 an attack on the American lines. The right wing of his army 
 consisted of light-infantry and grenadiers, supported by the Hes- 
 sian riflemen and a body of Canadian Tories and Indians as skir- 
 mishers, and was placed under the command of General Frazer, 
 
 Termination of the siege. — Reinforcement.'! from Arnold and Schnylcr. 
 — Retreat of the British. — Plan of the campaign. — Burgoyne advances to 
 Saratoga. — Position of the armies. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 117 
 
 Major Ackland, and the Earl of Balcarras ; the centre, of Eng- 
 lish troops under Burgoyne in person and General Hamilton ; 
 and the left, of the artillery regiments and Hessians under Gen- 
 erals Piiedesel and Philips. 
 
 3. The Americans occupied an advantageous position on 
 Bcmis's Heights, which they had taken care strongly to pro- 
 tect, by the erection of breastworks and redoubts. Its right, 
 commanded by General Gates, who had recently superseded 
 Schuyler, occupied the meadows between the heights and the 
 river ; and the left, under General Arnold and Colonel Morgan, 
 occupied the heights and the high grounds to the west. A 
 deep, closely wooded ravine also protected the front of the right 
 wing, and, at a little distance north, another of a similar char- 
 acter intervened between the two armies. 
 
 4. On the afternoon of the 19th the enemy in three divisions 
 advanced to the attack, — the centre crossing the ravine in a 
 line directly in front of the American camp, the right around its 
 head, and the left passing down the road skirting the river. 
 Colonel Morgan's regiment of riflemen, led by Major Morris, eu- 
 countered the advanced column, and after an impetuous attack 
 were driven from the field with the loss of twenty men. Arnold 
 was immediately despatched with two regiments to their relief; 
 but notwithstanding his accustomed display of vigor and brav- 
 ery, he was forced to retreat, Gates having refused the reinforce- 
 ments which he required. 
 
 5. Arnold immediatelj', by a rapid countermarch, fell sud- 
 denly and with great precipitation upon the enemy's centre, 
 commanded by Burgoyne himself, and, having been strength- 
 ened by the accession of several regiments belonging to his own 
 division, — comprising the New York troops, under Colonels 
 Pierre Van Courtlandt and the Livingstons, with the New 
 Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts troops, — main- 
 tained the action for four hours, until darkness separated the 
 combatants, when he retired in good order and without pursuit. 
 The forces of the two armies were nearly equal, the superiority 
 in numbers being with the enemy, who had thirty-five hundred 
 men against Arnold's three thousand. The British loss was six 
 
 Battle at Bemis's Heights. — Arrangement of forces. — Kepulse of Mor- 
 gan and Arnold. — Renewal of Arnold's attack. 
 
118 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 hundred killed and wounded, while the Americans' was only 
 about half that number. The enemy retained possession of 
 tlie field ; and both parties strengthened their positions pre- 
 paratory to a renewal of the battle. 
 
 (5. .Meantime an unfortunate and serious misunderstanding 
 had sprung up between Generals Gates and Arnold, growing out 
 of the removal of Schuyler ; and an unpleasant interview, follow- 
 ing the detachment of J\Iorgan's riflemen and Dearborn's infantry 
 from Arnold's division, had resulted in his removal from all 
 command, and exclusion from head-quarters, the left wing being 
 assigned to General Lincoln. So far was this bitter feud car- 
 ried, that no mention was made by Gates, in his official despatches 
 to the Commander-in-Chief, of the important part taken in the 
 battle of the previous day by Arnold. 
 
 7. For upwards of two weeks following the battle of Bemis's 
 Heights, or Stillwater, as it is more generally designated, the 
 enemy's lines were incessantly harassed by sorties from the 
 American camp, though no general engagement occurred. The 
 supplj' of provisions and forage for the British was daily dimin- 
 ishing. The difficulties of a retreat to Canada, combined with 
 the hazard of leaving Gates free to turn his arm)' against Howe, 
 inclined him to await communications from the latter ; but the 
 pressure of want, and the necessity of some movement to supply 
 the deficiencies of the soldiery, rendered a second and decisive 
 battle imperative. 
 
 8. On the 7th of October, accordingly, General Burgoyne, in 
 the absence of all information from Howe, deemed it advisable 
 to make a demonstration on the left of the American lines. 
 A detachment of fifteen hundred regular troops, with a heavy 
 battery of artillery and field-pieces, accompanied by Generals 
 Philips, Riedesel, and Frazer, was moved, under his immediate 
 command, to a position within three quarters of a mile of the 
 left wing of the Americans, while Captain Frazer's rangers, the 
 Indians, and Tory refugees, were directed to effect, if possible, a 
 diversion of their attention from the operations on their flank. 
 
 Dissension between Gates and Arnold. — Arnold deprived of his com- 
 mand. — Unworthy conduct of Gates. — Temporary cessation of hostili- 
 ties. — Embarrassing position of Rnrgoyne. — Active operations determined 
 upon. — Movements of the enemy. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 119 
 
 Their movements were, however, seasonably discovered, and 
 Morgan was ordered by Gates to gain the high ground on their 
 right, while General Poor, with the Eastern and New York regi- 
 ments, advanced against their left. 
 
 9. By a sudden and rapid movement the attack was com- 
 menced on the extreme left of the enemy's line, where ]\Iajor 
 Ackland was in command, and soon reached the centre, while 
 Morgan appeared on the right, and the action became general. 
 Burgoyue finding himself unable effectually to resist this com- 
 bined attack, attempted to form a second line in rear of the first, 
 to secure the retreat of the latter ; but, before this object could 
 be effected, Major Dearborn had effected a breach in the enemy's 
 left wing, compelling the right to rally to its relief. 
 
 10. In the execution of this movement. General Frazer re- 
 ceived a mortal wound, and Burgoyne found it necessary to 
 order a retreat of the main bodj', under cover of the forces of 
 Generals Philips and Reidesel, and such assistance as he him- 
 self might be able to render with such troops as could hastily 
 be collected. With great diflBculty they were enabled to regain 
 their camp, with the loss of six pieces of artillery and several of 
 their men. 
 
 11. Arnold, notwithstanding orders to the contrary, had occu- 
 pied his usual place at the head of his troops, and participated 
 in the attack with his usual bravery and determined energy. 
 Flying in hot haste from one part of the field to the other, 
 he cheered on his men, everywhere received with the greatest 
 enthusiasm, his orders carried out and his example emulated 
 throughout the line. Chiefly by his indomitable spirit and gal- 
 lant exertions the right and rear of the enemy's forces were 
 carried and held by Lieutenant-Colonel Brooks, when the ap- 
 proach of darkness again put an end to the contest. 
 
 12. The Americans had, however, obtained a complete and 
 brilliant victory. The British had been driven from the field 
 with the loss of several of their best officers, six hundred men 
 killed, wounded, and prisoners, and most of their artillery, am- 
 munition, horses, and baggage. The American loss did not 
 exceed one hundred and fifty killed and wounded, among the 
 
 Counter-movements of the Amerirans. — Second battle of Stillw.iter. — 
 Braveri- of Arnold. — Ketreat of the British. — Victory of the Americans. 
 
120 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 latter of whom was General Arnold, who, just as the victory was 
 won, received a ball which fractured his leg, killing his horse. 
 How noble and brilliant would have been his record, could it 
 only have terminated here ! 
 
 13. General Burgoj-ne, on the night of the 7th, changed his 
 position to the heights on the west bank of the Hudson, near 
 the present village of Wilbur's Basin. On the morning of the 
 8th the Americans took possession of his abandoned camp ; and 
 although a random fire of artillery and small-arms was kept up 
 between the armies during the day, no further attack was made 
 on either side. General Gates despatched a brigade under Gen- 
 eral Fellows to take post on the east side of the Hudson, oppo- 
 site Saratoga, to cut off the enemy's retreat. Another detach- 
 ment of two thousand men was sent to intercept him at Fort 
 Edward, and a third, with a similar object, to the ford higher up. 
 
 14. Breaking up his command, and leaving behind him some 
 three hundred of his sick and wounded in consequence of the 
 bad state of the roads, Burgoyne, on the night of the 8th, re- 
 treated with gi-eat secrecy, with all his remaining baggage, to 
 Saratoga (now Schuylen'ille), which he reached on the succeed- 
 ing night. On the afternoon of the 10th he was overtaken by 
 the Americans, and on the following morning an injudicious 
 attempt on the part of Gates to bring on a general action, in 
 ignorance of the position of the enemy, was only frustrated by 
 the disobedience of his peremptory orders by the officers under 
 his command. 
 
 15. On the 12th, no reliable information having been re- 
 ceived either from Clinton or Howe, and the supply of pro- 
 visions continuing inadeqiiate, a council of officers decided 
 upon the necessity and expediency of a retreat, if possible, by 
 way of Fort Edward or Lake George. This having been found 
 wholly impracticable, by the report of scouts, and three days' 
 supply only remaining, a capitulation was determined upon on 
 the next day. On the 1 6th the negotiations for this purpose 
 were completed, and on the 1 7th the surrender effected in the 
 presence of both armies, with all the usual formalities. 
 
 Genornl Arnold wounded. — Movements of the two armies. — Buvfioyne's 
 rr-trc.it cut off. — Retreat to Saratoga. — Injudicious conduct of Gates. — 
 Surrender of Burgoyne. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 121 
 
 16. Twelve general officers, some thirty regimental officers, 
 nearly nine hundred subalterns, and four thousand eight him- 
 dred and thirty-six privates, amounting in all to five thousand 
 seven hundred and sixty-three, laid down their arms ; and 
 twenty-seven pieces of cannon, with implements and stores com- 
 plete, five thousand stands of arms, and great quantities of 
 ammunition, were captured. 
 
 1 7. The suiTender of Burgoyne was followed by the evacua- 
 tion of Ticonderoga and Crown Point, and the total prostration 
 of the British power in the northern section of the State. Its 
 effect iipon the American army and the American people gen- 
 erally was electric. Following, as it did, upon the disastrous 
 results of the campaign of the preceding year, and the recent 
 defeats in Pennsylvania, it infused fresh spirit into the hearts 
 of the desponding, encouraged and strengthened the timid, ap- 
 palled the domestic traitors, and cheered the patriots through- 
 out the country. It riveted the alliance of the French auxilia- 
 ries, and secured the respectful regards, if not the effective aid, 
 of foreign States. Even in the British Parliament it called 
 forth the indignant remonstrances of the ablest Englisli states- 
 men, and enlisted the ardent sympathies of the friends of free- 
 dom throughout the world. 
 
 18. Sir Henry Clinton, with the view of co-operating with 
 Burgoyne, had, early in October, ascended the Hudson with 
 a strong force, and on the 6th a detachment under Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Campbell gained possession of Forts Montgomery and 
 Clinton, on the boundaries of Orange and Eockland County, 
 after a severe contest, maintained, under the immediate direction 
 of Governor Clinton, by Colonels Livingston, Bruyn, and Mc- 
 Longhry. Having also secured the occupation of Fort Con- 
 stitution, opposite West Point, with the uninterrupted com- 
 mand of the river, they contented themselves with burning 
 Kingston, and, intelligence of the defeat of Burgoyne rendering 
 further advance unnecessary, returned to New York, while Gen- 
 eral Gates, with a thousand of his victorious troops, rejoined 
 "Washington's camp in Pennsylvania. 
 
 Effects of the surrender. — Capture of Forts Clinton, Montgomery, and 
 Constitution, on the Hudson. — Burning of Kingston. — General Gates 
 joins Washington's army in Pennsylvania. 
 
122 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 INDIAN BaHBAEITIES. — MASSACRE AT ChEKRY VaLLET. — SuLLIVAk'S 
 
 Campaign. 
 
 1. The succeeding year was chiefly distinguished, in the an- 
 
 nals of the State of New York, by an atrocious succes- 
 sion of Indian and Tory barbarities and massacres in the 
 Mohawk Valley and among the interior settlements, under the 
 auspices of Joseph Brant, the well-known chief of the Six 
 Nations, and Walter Butler, the son of the fiendish miscre- 
 ant John Butler, the chief agent in the famous massacre in 
 AVyoming. 
 
 2. On the 1st of June, Captain Patrick, of Colonel Alden's 
 Massachusetts regiment, with a small party of volunteers, was 
 attacked at the little settlement of Cobleskill, on the Mohawk 
 River, in Schoharie County, by a party of Indians and Tories 
 commanded by Brant and one Service, numbering over three 
 hundred and fifty. After a bloody and desperate contest, 
 Patrick, with twenty of his men, was killed, and several others 
 wounded and captured ; and the enemy, having plundered and 
 burnt the houses of the settlers, returned to Canada. 
 
 3. During the spring of this year, in apprehension of Indian 
 hostilities, General Lafayette had directed a fort to be built at 
 Cherry Valley, in Otsego County, then a part of Tryon County. 
 Brant, with his savage warriors, hovered around the settle- 
 ment while the work was in progress, destroying Springfield, 
 and continuing his aggressions from time to time in the neigh- 
 borhood, until they assumed so formidable a character that Colo- 
 nel Ichabod Allen, with a regiment of Continental troops, was 
 ordered to the village, and took possession of the church, sur- 
 rounded by a heavy stockade, for the protection of the in- 
 habitants. 
 
 4. At the approach of winter, however, the settlers returned 
 to their deserted habitations, — further hostilities having ap- 
 parently been abandoned, — and Brant retired with his forces 
 
 Indian and Torj- atrocities. — Attack upon Cobleskill. — Destruction of 
 the settlement. 
 
CHERRY VALLEY. 123 
 
 to Niagara. On his journey he Tvas met by Walter Butler at 
 the head of a detachment of two hundred men known as " But- 
 ler's Rangers," — a band of Tories commanded by his father. 
 Smarting under the indignities inflicted upon him by the 
 patriots, who had a short time previous arrested and confined 
 him as a Tory, and burning for revenge, he was on his way to 
 destroy Cherry Valley, whither he was accompanied by Brant 
 with five hundred of his party. 
 
 5. On the 6th of November, information of the intended 
 attack was communicated to Colonel Alden by Colonel Gan- 
 sevoort, the commander of Fort Schuyler ; but the warning was 
 contemptuously disregarded by the former, who refused to per- 
 mit the return of the settlers to the fort, with their families 
 and effects, and contented himself with sending out scouts, who 
 fell victims to their wary and vigilant savage enemies, without 
 having been able to apprise the garrison of the imminent 
 danger hanging over it. 
 
 6. On the morning of the 1 1th of November, in the midst of 
 a heavy storm of snow and rain, the enemy having on the pre- 
 vious night gained the outskirts of the town, and encamped 
 upon a hill thickly covered with evergreens, about a mile from 
 the fort, advanced upon the unsuspecting settlement by a path 
 which bad been left unprotected, and took possession of a swamp 
 in its vicinity. Colonel Alden was again warned of their ap- 
 proach by a traveller, who had been shot at and wounded by 
 two of their number on his way to the village, but still persisted 
 with an inexplicable infatuation in discrediting the report. 
 
 7. The attack immediately commenced. Brant with his In- 
 dians leading the way, closely followed by Butler and his 
 rangers. The house of Mr. Wells was first entered by a mixed 
 party of Tories and Senecas, and his whole family, with one 
 exception, — consisting of himself, wife, four children, mother, 
 brother, sister, and three domestics, — ruthlessly massacred, 
 one son, absent at school, only escaping. Colonel Alden, also 
 an inmate of the house, was tomahawked and scalped in his at- 
 tempted flight. The house of the aged pastor, Mr. Dunlap, was 
 next attacked, his wife slain before his eyes, and his own life 
 
 Attack upon Cherry Valley. — Indiscriminate massacre of the inhabitants. 
 
124 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 spared only through the interference of one of the Mohawk 
 chiefs. 
 
 8. Colonel Campbell's house Tvas then suiTounded, and in his 
 absence his wife and four children were taken prisoners. The in- 
 discriminate slaughter of men, women, and children went on with 
 relentless ferocity, until thirty -two of the inhabitants and eleven 
 soldiers were slain ; all the dwellings and out-houses, with their 
 contents, burned ; and forty prisoners, including the officers of 
 the gaiTison, carried into captivity. On the next day, after 
 securing all the sheep, cattle, and horses of the settlement, and 
 discharging the captured women and children, the enemy re- 
 tired. 
 
 9. It is but justice to Brant to state that the chief responsi- 
 bility of this savage outbreak and wholesale massacre and rob- 
 bery of innocent and defenceless women and children rested 
 upon the head of the infamous Butler and his malignant band 
 of traitors and Tories. Brant exerted himself throughout the 
 fearful conflict to save the effusion of blood and arrest the indis- 
 criminate slaughter going on around him. He succeeded in 
 protecting and concealing several of the inhabitants, while But- 
 ler personally directed all the operations of the party. 
 
 10. Of the wretched survivors of this bloody massacre, nearly 
 two hundred were deprived of house and home, and left almost 
 entirely destitute of provision and clothing. Most of those 
 killed were women and children, and many of the prisoners 
 consisted of men suspected of Tory principles, and who conse- 
 quently deemed themselves secure of protection from their cap- 
 tors. No distinction, however, seems to have been made be- 
 tween them and others by their infuriated enemies, and not 
 even the influence of Brant was able to afford them any exemp- 
 tion from the general slaughter. 
 
 .. 11. Early in June, 1779, General Clinton conducted an 
 
 expedition up the Hudson, resulting in the capture of 
 Stony Point, a rocky promontory at the head of Haverstraw 
 Bay, on the west bank of the river, and Verplanck's Point, 
 nearly opposite on the eastern side. On tlie 15th of July, how- 
 ever, General AVayne, acting under detailed and minute iustruc- 
 
 Brant's complicity. — AVretcheil condition of the remainin^i; inhabitants 
 — Capture and recapture of Stony Point and Verplanck's Point. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 125 
 
 tions fi-om General Washington, recaptured the first-named 
 fortress after a spirited and severe contest, with heavy loss of 
 men and military stores on the part of the British. The fort 
 on ^ erplanck's Point was immediately surrendered, and soon 
 afterwards Major Lee surprised a British garrison at Paulus 
 Hook, now Jersey City, on the west side of the Hudson, oppo- 
 site Jsew York, killing thirty men, and taking a large number 
 of prisoners. 
 
 12. On the night of the 19th of July, Brant, at the head of 
 sixty warriors of his tribe and twenty-seven Tories in Indian dis- 
 guise, attacked the settlement at Minisink, in the western part 
 of Orange County, lying on the Neversink Eiver, at the foot of 
 the Shawangunk Moimtains. After setting fire to ten houses 
 of the inhabitants, and destroying the church, barns, and mills 
 in the neighborhood, they retired with their plunder, without 
 attempting further violence. 
 
 13. Intelligence of this outrage having been forwarded to 
 Colonel Tusten at Goshen, that officer at once proceeded with 
 about a hundred and fifty men, many of them volunteers, to 
 the settlement, where a council was held as to the best mode 
 of avenging the injury. Colonel Tusten opposed pursuit until 
 the arrival of reinforcements to his small band ; but the major- 
 ity, under the advice of Major Meeker, counselled <an immediate 
 march, which was accordingly directed. On the following morn- 
 ing. Colonel Hathorn arrived with a few recruits, and assumed 
 command of the party as the senior oificer. 
 
 li. Ascertaining the superiority of the enemy's force, of which 
 the predatory band of the preceding day was only a portion, the 
 officers of the detachment again counselled prudence, but were 
 again overruled by their rash associates ; nor did the death of 
 Captain Tyler, who was soon afterwards shot down in a recon- 
 noitring expedition by a party in ambush, induce greater cau- 
 tion. They soon came up with the main body of the enemy, 
 moving towards the ford at the mouth of the Lackawaxen 
 Creek, when Colonel Hathorn, with the view of intercepting 
 their flight, turned to the right to escape observation until he 
 could accomplish this object. 
 
 Surprise of Brifisli garrison at I'aulus Hook. — Attack of Brant upon 
 the settlement at Minisink. 
 
126 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 15. Brant, having detected ttis movement, immediately 
 threw his force into the rear of his opponent, and placed them 
 advantageously in ambush, while he executed a series of skilful 
 and successful manoeuvres to draw off his attention. Upwards 
 of fifty men were separated from the main body, leaving tlie re- 
 mainder to sustain the shock of the enemy's attack. Occupying 
 the summit of a hill, and drawn up in hollow squares, they 
 maintained the unequal contest for several hours, when their 
 sheltered position became exposed, and they were surrounded by 
 their foes, and compelled to surrender at discretion or cut their 
 ■way through their merciless enemies. The wounded — seventeen 
 in number — were immediately butchered, forty-five were slaugh- 
 tered in their efforts to retreat, and of the whole body thirty 
 only escaped. 
 
 16. But the hour of fearful retribution was at hand. An ex- 
 pedition was organized under the direction of Washington, and 
 placed under the command of General Sullivan, for the effectual 
 extirpation of these savage and brutal marauders : the main 
 body, under Sullivan in person, to operate in Pennsylvania and 
 the neighborhood of the Wyoming Valley ; and the other, under 
 General James Clinton, brother of the Governor and father of 
 De Witt Clinton, to move from Canajoharie by way of Otsego 
 Lake and the Susquehanna Eiver to unite with the main body 
 at Tioga Point. 
 
 17. General Clinton, at the head of fifteen himdred men, 
 reached Canajoharie on the 16th of June, and on the succeeding 
 day commenced the transpoi-tation of his boats — two hundred 
 and ten in number, with the necessary stores — to the head of 
 Otsego Lake, a distance of twenty miles, over roads cut through 
 the forests and over the hills. With the efficient assistance of 
 Colonel Willett he accomplished this task in ten days, and on the 
 1st of July passed down the lake to its outlet, near the present 
 village of Cooperstown, where he awaited orders from Sulhvan, 
 erecting, in the mean while, a dam across the outlet for facility 
 of transportation, as well as for the destruction, by the overflow 
 of its waters on removal, of the crops of the Indians on the 
 banks of the Susquehanna, — both which objects were fully ac- 
 
 Bnttlc at Jlinisink. — Generals Sullivan and Clinton's expedition against 
 the Indians. 
 
INDIAN ATROCITIES. 127 
 
 comiilished, to the astonishment and surprise of the savages, who 
 wei*e ignorant of the cause. 
 
 18. It was not, however, until late in August that the di- 
 vision joined General Sullivan at Tioga, and their united forces 
 proceeded up the east bank of the Chemung River, destroying 
 the crops of the Indians in their progress. On the 29th the 
 enemy were discovered in force, occupying an advantageous po- 
 sition near the present site of Elmira. Tlie brigades of Generals 
 Clinton and Poor were advanced against the position occupied by 
 the enemy's right, the possession of which was fiercely contested 
 by Brant and his Indians, who, after a pi'otracted and skilful 
 defence, were at length driven back, and General Poor pressed to 
 the attack of the left flank. 
 
 19. Rallying his warriors to a renewed effort, and supported 
 by his Tory allies, Brant again sounded the terrible w^ar-whoop, 
 and the contest was resumed with desperate energy. The su- 
 periority of the invading force, however, and the presence of the 
 artillery, soon compelled them to yield, and a precipitate retreat 
 ensued. The fugitives were followed for two miles, leaving 
 their dead and tomahawks and scalping-knives behind. During 
 the ensuing two weeks their villages and crops were destroyed 
 thi-oughout the entire settlement, including the chief town, 
 near Geneva, in which were some sixty houses surrounded by 
 orchards and cornfields, and those on the present sites of Water- 
 loo, Canandaigua, Honeyoye, Genesee, and Cuyler, and on the 
 banks of Cayuga Lake. 
 
 20. On the 14th of September the army crossed the Genesee 
 River, where, at the old town of Genesee, they found the muti- 
 lated remains of Lieutenant Boyd and Sergeant Parker, who had 
 been cruelly put to death by torture, by command of Butler, 
 notwithstanding the protection solemnly pledged them by Brant. 
 Upwards of a hundred and twenty houses, seven hundred acres 
 of growing corn, and vast quantities of other property belonging 
 .to the Indians, were here destroyed. Recrossing the river on 
 the 16th, the troops commenced their homeward march, reaching 
 
 Prepress of the expedition. — Defeat of the Indians, and destruction of 
 tht-ii- villages and crops. — Martyrdom of Lieutenant Boyd and Sergeant 
 Parker. — Destruction of the old Genesee village. — Return of the expedi- 
 tion. 
 
128 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 Wyoming on the 30th and Eastern Pennsylvania on the 15th 
 of October. 
 
 21. This severe chastisement of the Indians, while it afforded 
 a temporary checli to their ravages and subjected them to great 
 suffering and distress, failed, nevertheless, in reducing to any 
 considerable extent their effective numerical force, or preventing 
 their retaliation on the frontier settlements whenever a favor- 
 able opportunity was presented. The wholesale destruction of 
 property by the invading armj% and the disgraceful brutality of 
 portions of the troops in emulating the worst barbarities of their 
 savage foes, reflected no small discredit on the enterprise in the 
 estimation of the friends of humanity at home and abroad. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Treason of Ahnold. — Capture and Execution op ANDRi;. — Close 
 OF THE War. 
 
 1. On the 3d of February, 1780, five companies of Continental 
 troops, consisting of about two hundred and fifty men, 
 commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, of Massa- 
 chusetts, stationed at a place known as Young's house, on the 
 Tarrytown Road, in Westchester County, a few miles north 
 of the village, were attacked by a force of between five and 
 six hundred royalists from Kingsbridge and Fort Washington, 
 under the command of Colonel Norton. The little garrison, 
 taken by surprise, were unprepared for defence ; and after a 
 gallant and severe conflict were compelled to retreat with the 
 loss of one officer and thirteen men killed, thirty-seven wounded, 
 and twenty prisoners. The Royal Grenadiers having forced a 
 house in which a few of the fugitives had taken refuge, it was 
 set on fire and burned to the ground, with five wounded men 
 who were unable to effect their escape. 
 
 2. In the year 1778 a strong redoubt, called Fort Clinton in 
 honor of George Clinton, then Governor of New York, had been 
 
 Results of the expedition. — Affair at Young's liouse, near Tarrytown. 
 
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 129 
 
 erected on the extreme end of the promontory of West Point, 
 on the west bank of the Hudson, which, with other defences, in- 
 chiding an enormous iron chain, each ring of which weighed one 
 hundred pounds, stretched across the river, were intended to 
 strengthen this important position and prevent the access of the 
 British. 
 
 3. Benedict Arnold, in an evil hour for his own fame, had been, 
 in the foil of 1 780, assigned to the command of this post, tlis 
 previous splendid services in the French and Indian War and 
 during Burgoyne's campaign had been somewhat obscured by 
 subsequent events, while in temporary command at Philadelphia 
 in 1778, and he had been reprimanded by Washington under 
 sentence of a court-martial for alleged official malpractices and 
 dishonesty. Still he possessed the full confidence of the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, and was believed to be entirely trustworthy. 
 
 4. Smarting under the disgrace of his sentence and the repri- 
 mand of the General, and oppressed by pecuniary embarrass- 
 ments, he was induced, while in command of West Point, to 
 enter into a treasonable correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, 
 the commander of the British army at New York, having for its 
 ultimate object the betraj-al of the fortress committed to his 
 charge, with its dependencies, in consideration of fifty thousand 
 dollars and a brigadier's commission in the English army. 
 
 5. On the 3d of August, Arnold took command of the for- 
 tress, establishing his head-quarters at a house on the opposite 
 side of the river, formerly belonging to Colonel Beverly Robin- 
 son, but which, on account of his adhesion to the Royalists, had 
 been confiscated by the Americans. West Point, occupying a 
 position which commanded the communication between the 
 Eastern and Southern States, and being considered impregnable 
 to attack, was regarded as the strongest and most important 
 military post in the Union. A treasonable con-espondence had 
 been carried on between Arnold and Major John Andre, Adju- 
 tant-General of the Briti&h army, in behalf of Sir Henry Clinton, 
 for nearly eighteen months previous to the occupation of the 
 fort, under the names of " Gustavus " and " John Anderson," 
 
 Treason of Arnold. — Arnold's occupation of West Point. — His treason- 
 able correspondence ^nth Andre. 
 9 
 
130 FIFTIJ FEIUOD. 
 
 and a tempting opportunity was now aiforded for the culmina- 
 tion of the negotiations. 
 
 6. Arnold was now desirous of a personal interview with 
 Andre ; and with a view to this object he informed Colonel 
 Sheldon, the commander of a troop of horse at Salem, West- 
 chester County, that he expected a person from New York with 
 a flag of truce, directing him to meet him at Dobbs's Ferry and 
 escort him to head-quarters. Sheldon, in ignorance of the p>ir- 
 port of this communication, returned it, with a message that he 
 would be unable to meet the flag, and expressing the hope that 
 General Arnold would himself be able to do so. To this ar- 
 rangement the latter assented. 
 
 7. On ai'riving at the ferry, however, neither Andre nor Bev- 
 erly Robinson, who was cognizant of the whole affair, appeared. 
 Arnold immediately wrote to Washington, who was at Tappan 
 with the main body of the army, preparing for another attack on 
 New York, infomiing him of his journey down the river for the 
 examination of its defences and the arrangement of signals. An- 
 other meeting with Andre, in disguise, was appointed for the 
 20th of September. Clinton in the mean while had, on the 
 18th, sent the sloop-of-war Vulture up the river with Robinson, 
 •who despatched a note to Arnold at Verplanck's Point, request- 
 ing an interview, ostensibly with reference to the disposition of 
 his property opposite West Point. 
 
 8. A few hours after the reception of this letter, Washing- 
 ton himself, accompanied by General Lafayette, arrived at Ver- 
 planck's Point, on his way to Hartford to meet Count Rocham- 
 beau. Arnold showed him Robinson's letter, and was cautioned 
 by him to avoid all correspondence with the latter, as, in view 
 of all the occurrences of the past year, calculated to implicate 
 him unfavorably in the public estimation. The General with 
 his suite crossed the river iu Arnold's barge, where, from some 
 chance observation of Lafayette's, and a suspicious scrutiny by 
 Washington of the Vulture, which lay at anchor in the distance, 
 he became seriously apprehensive of the discovery of his treason. 
 
 9. On the succeeding day he communicated with Robinson, 
 apprising him of his intention to send a trusty messenger on the 
 
 Arranitements for an interview. — Arrival of Washington and Lafayette. 
 — Apprehensions of Arnold. 
 
ARNOLD AND ANDR£. 131 
 
 next night to Dobbs's Ferry, or on board the Vulture, enclosing 
 a copy of his letter to Andre, both which were transmitted by 
 Eobiuson to Sir Henry Clinton, who, on the morning of the 
 20th, despatched Andre to Dobbs's Ferrj', with positive instruc- 
 tions not to go within the American lines, to assume no dis- 
 guise and receive no papers. Failing to meet any one at the 
 ferry, Andre proceeded up the river to the Vulture, which he 
 reached at seven o'clock, but found there no messenger from 
 Arnold, as he had been led to expect. 
 
 10. A Mr. Joshua H. Smith, who resided near the village of 
 Haverstraw and sustained a respectable character, having been 
 frequentl)' employed by Arnold and his predecessor in obtain- 
 ing intelligence of the movements of the British, had been ap- 
 prised by the former of the expected conference, and requested 
 to bring " Mr. Anderson " on shore from the Vulture. Being 
 unable to procure a boat for this pur{)0se, he sent a message to 
 that effect to head-quarters, and Arnold went himself to Ver- 
 planck's Point, and despatched a messenger to Continental Vil- 
 lage for his own barge, with directions to forward it to the creek 
 in Haverstraw near Smith's house. 
 
 11. On the night of the 21st, Smith, with muffled oars, de- 
 scended the river to the Vulture, returning at a late hour with 
 Major Andre, who, in spite of the remonstrances of Robinson, 
 persisted in going on shore in his uniform, concealed, however, 
 by a large blue surtout. Landing at the foot of Clove Moun- 
 tain, six miles below Stony Point, he was conducted by Smith 
 to the presence of Arnold, who awaited his arrival among the 
 bushes in the vicinity. Their conference was prolonged until 
 daybreak, when they rode together to the residence of Smith. 
 The challenge of a sentinel, and the cannonade on the Vulture, 
 compelling her to drop still farther down the river, were the 
 first intimation to the unfortunate Andrg of his presence within 
 the American lines. 
 
 1 2. Everything having been satisfactorily arranged between 
 the conspirators, Arnold returned at ten o'clock to his quarters ; 
 and Andrl, exchanging his uniform for a disguise, and furnished 
 with a pass from Arnold, with several important papers concealed 
 
 ProTess of the negotiations between Arnold and Andre. — Interview be- 
 tween Arnold and Andr^. — Consummation of the treason. 
 
132 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 in his stockings containing full information of the condition and 
 strength of the fort and the arrangements for the movements 
 of the garrison in case of an alarm, proceeded on horseback, ac- 
 companied hy Smith, to King's Feiry, which they crossed, and 
 proceeded through the upper part of Westchester County on 
 their route to the Vulture, Smith having refused, ou pretence 
 of fatigue and illness, to convey him thither by boat. 
 
 13. At about nine o'clock in the evening they were challenged 
 by a sentinel eight miles from the ferrj-, and Caiotain Boyd, the 
 commander of the post, made his appearance, inspected their 
 passports, and demanded their business. Apparently satisfied 
 with the esplanation given by Smith, he informed him of the 
 dangerous condition of the roads leading to White Plains, in- 
 fested as they were by Cow-Boys and Skinners of both armies, 
 and advised their remaining at the post mitil the next morning. 
 Unwilling to excite increased suspicion, this arrangement was 
 assented to, and they passed the night very uneasily at the 
 house of Andreas Miller, who lived near by. 
 
 14. At dawn on the succeeding morning they resumed their 
 journey, taking the route to Pine's Bridge, Andre being in un- 
 usually cheerful spirits, and conversing freely with his compan- 
 ion on literary and other topics. After partaking of a simple 
 breakfast at a house about two miles north of the Bridge, 
 Smith left Andre and returned to his family, then at Fishkill. 
 The latter proceeded alone on his perilous journey through 
 Tarrytown. Between eleven and twelve o'clock his progress 
 was intercepted by three militia-men, — John Paulding, David 
 Williams, and Isaac Van Wart, — while watching with their com- 
 rades for stragglers and stray cattle from the British lines, w^ho, 
 perceiving his approach, at once arrested him. 
 
 1 5. Losing his presence of mind at this unexpected obstacle, 
 Andre, aware of the character of the region, and its common 
 occupation by stragglers from both armies indiscriminately, 
 immediately expressed to his captors his hope that they belonged 
 to his own party. " Which party ? " demanded Paulding. 
 " The lower," replied Andre. " I do,'' observed the former ; 
 upon which Andre imprudently avowed himself a British officer, 
 
 Andre's retreat and capture at Tarrytown. 
 
THE REVOLUriOyAliY WAR. 133 
 
 on particular business, and begged not to be detained for a mo- 
 ment. This sealed his doom. 
 
 1 6. On being informed of the truth by his captors, he pro- 
 duced Arnold's passport, and endeavored to excuse his previous 
 statement by his apprehensions of falling in with a British 
 party ; but neither these nor his liberal offers of money and 
 his gold watch were of any avail with these stern and incor- 
 ruptible patriots. On discovering the important papers con- 
 cealed on his person, he was conducted to the nearest military 
 station at North Castle. 
 
 1 7. On the nest day he was transferred, for greater security, 
 to Colonel Sheldon's quarters at Salem, where he was recognized 
 by Major Tallmadge, who urged Colonel Jameson, the com- 
 mander of the post, not to return him to Arnold, and took 
 charge of him himself He was, however, very injudiciously per- 
 mitted to communicate with Arnold, and thereby was the first 
 to apprise him of the failure of their plans, and to enable him 
 to make his escape, which he accordingly effected on the same 
 daj', in the Vulture, having taken a hurried leave of his wife, 
 and manned his barge without a moment's delay. 
 
 18. Washington, in ignorance of all these events, arrived 
 early in the morning at Arnold's head-quarters, and, having 
 breakfasted, crossed over to West Point. Finding him absent, 
 he spent some time in an examination of the defences of the 
 post and returned in the afternoon, when he was informed by 
 Colonel Hamilton of the whole conspiracy and its detection, but 
 too late to prevent the escape of the traitor. 
 
 19. Meanwhile his unfortunate victim. Major Andr6, was 
 treated with great kindness and consideration by Major Tall- 
 madge, who soon contracted a strong friendship and regard for 
 him, and indulged him in every privilege of which his situation 
 admitted, permitting him to communicate freely with Washing- 
 ton, which he did, informing him of his name and rank, the 
 motives from which he acted, and his readiness to submit to 
 such consequences as the stern laws of honorable warfare ex- 
 acted. 
 
 20. On the 29th of September, Washington, after visiting 
 
 Washington's discovery of the treason. — Conduct of Andrd. 
 
134 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 AVest Point, and making every preparation for its defence, went 
 to Tappan, -n-here the army was encamped. Andre, in the mean 
 time, had been taken from Sheldon's quarters to Robinson's 
 house, thence to West Point, where he remained until the 28th, 
 when he was conducted to Tappan. His behavior during this 
 period, and his unaffected gratitude for all the indulgences 
 pemiitted him, secured him the sincere sympathy and kindly 
 regards of all with whom he came in contact. 
 
 21. A board of officers, consisting of six major-generals and 
 eight brigadiers, was convened immediately on the arrival of 
 Washington, before which Andre was tried, convicted, and sen- 
 tenced to suffer death. Every effort was made by Sir Henry 
 Clinton to avert his fate, and every opportunity afforded by 
 Washington for his defence. His only request was that he 
 might be shot, as became a soldier ; but this mitigation of his 
 sentence was deemed incompatible with the strict rules of the 
 service. It was believed, however, that Washington would not 
 have been unwilling to have exchanged him for the vile traitor 
 ■whose dupe he had been. 
 
 22. Arnold, meanwhile, had taken up his abode in the city 
 of New York, where a gallant effort was made for his capture by 
 the chivalrous Champe, who feigned to desert to the British army, 
 and met with a cordial reception from the traitor. Availing 
 himself with promptitude of the facilities thus obtained, a plan 
 for seizing and carrying him off was matured, but on the day 
 preceding that fixed for its execution was unfortunately foiled 
 by an order for the embarkation of Champe for the Chesapeake. 
 He, however, embraced the earliest opportunity to desert from 
 the British army and return to his comrades for the vindication 
 of his honor and patriotism. Arnold remained in the service 
 until the close of the war, when he repaired to England, where 
 he died, several j-ears afterwards, in obscurity and disgrace, thus 
 closing in darkest infamy a career which might have been dis- 
 tinguished beyond most of his compeers for bravery and daring 
 heroism. 
 
 2.3. The fatal day for his execution having arrived, Andr6, at 
 noon of the 2d of October, arrayed in the full dress of a British 
 
 Trial, conviction, and sentence of Andre by a military court. — Efforts for 
 the capture of Arnold. — His subsequent career. 
 
CLOSING OF THE WAR. 135 
 
 officer, ■with the exception of the sword, was conducted by a 
 large detachment of troops, accompanied by an immense con- 
 course of people, to the gallows, which was erected on the sum- 
 mit of a hill about a quarter of a mile west of Tappan Village. 
 He manifested some surprise on becoming aware of the manner 
 of his execution, of which he had not previously, as it would 
 seem, been apprised ; but soon recovering himself, adjusted the 
 halter with his own hands, bandaged his eyes, called the spec- 
 tators to witness that he died like a brave man, when the cart 
 moved from beneath him, and in a few moments all was over. 
 
 24. Thus perished, in the twenty-ninth year of his age, the 
 chivalrous and unfortunate Major Andre, around whose prema- 
 ture fate the sympathies of all Europe and America were clustered 
 and still remain. Contrasting his treatment, the indulgent 
 clemency extended to him by his judges, and the kind and ten- 
 der respect which has been paid to his memory, with the brutal 
 barbarities inflicted by the British upon the young American 
 patriot Hale, under precisely similar circumstances, we may w^ell 
 be content to await the verdict of posterity ! 
 
 2.5. On the 21st of November a party of Tory refugees from 
 Rhode Island, occupying the St. George's Manor House on 
 Smith's Point, Long Island, which they had fortified, were dis- 
 lodged by Major Benjamin Tallmadge, under the direction of 
 Washington, a severe chastisement inflicted upon a portion of 
 the garrison, — who after its surrender fired upon the assailing 
 party from one of the houses, — and a British vessel lying in 
 the neighborhood seoired with its crew. From thence Major 
 Tallmadge, with Lieutenant Brewster and ten men, proceeded to 
 Coram, where he destroyed a large quantity of forage collected 
 for the use of the British army, and, having successfully accom- 
 plished the object of his expedition, returned to their quar- 
 ters at Fairfield, Connecticut without the loss of a single man. 
 Seven of the enemy were killed and wounded, and four officers 
 and fifty soldiers taken prisoners. Major Tallmadge received 
 the thanks of Congress and the warm approval of the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief for his bravery and that of his men. 
 
 Execution of Andre. — General sympathy in his fate. — Contrast between 
 Andre' and Hale. — Capture of St. George's Manor House, Long Island. — 
 Destruction of British supplies at Coram, Suffolk County. 
 
136 FIFTH PERIOD. 
 
 26. The splendid victory at Yorktown on the 19th 
 of October was virtually a close of the war. Public 
 rejoicings pervaded everj' portion of the country, and the 13th 
 of December was set apart as a day of general thanksgiving. 
 Clinton was superseded in his command by Sir Guy Carleton, 
 who soon afterwards arrived in New York ; but all further hos- 
 tilities were suspended. In March, 1782, Lord North retired 
 from the Bi'itish Cabinet, and Carleton was directed by his suc- 
 cessor. Lord Rockingham, to open negotiations for a treaty of 
 peace. The American Congress appointed John Jay, John 
 Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Lau- 
 rens, to act as commissioners for this purpose on the part of 
 the United States. On the 30th of November the preliminaries 
 were signed at Paris; and on the 3d of September, 1783, a defin- 
 itive treat}', recognizing the independence of the United States, 
 was concluded. 
 
 27. On the 3d of November the Continental army was dis- 
 banded by order of Congress, and on the 25th Washington 
 entered the city of New York, and the British troops took their 
 final departure. On the 4th of December, Washington took an 
 affecting farewell of his old companions in arms, with whom he 
 had been so long and so closely united in the struggle for na- 
 tional independence, and proceeded to Annapolis, where Congress 
 was then in session. Having formally resigned his commission 
 to that body as Commander-in-Chief, he returned to Mount 
 Vernon as a private citizen, soon to be recalled from its quiet 
 shades to preside over the destinies of the nation he had 
 founded. 
 
 Close of the war. — General rejoicings. — Negotiations for peace. — Con- 
 clusion of treaty. — Disbandmcnt of the army. — Evacuation of New York 
 by the British. — Parting between Washington and his officers. — Resigna- 
 tion of bis commission, and retirement to Mount Yernon. 
 
Old City Hall in Wall Street, New York, 1789. 
 
 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 THE STATE GOVERNMENT TO THE CONSTITU- 
 TION OF 1S21. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 Adoption op the Constitutiox of the United States. 
 1. The war being now over, and the independent exist- 
 
 1782, 
 
 ence of the United States as a member of the familj' of 
 nations having been officially recognized, it speedily became evi- 
 dent that the provisional constitution of government as estab- 
 lished by the Articles of Confederation adopted by the Congress 
 of 1777 was inadequate in many essential respects to the pres- 
 ent exigencies of the public welfare. 
 
 Position of affairs at the close of the w ar. 
 
138 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 2. By that instrument the several States of the Union were 
 merely leagued together for the accomplishment of a specific 
 purpose, retaining in aU things their individual sovereignty, 
 and only surrendering it in any case at the pleasure of their 
 accredited representatives, acting under instructions from their 
 o'n-n legislature. That purpose having now been accomplished, 
 some more effective provision was deemed indispensable to the 
 functions of a national government in its dealings with other 
 nations, and its discharge of its obligations to its own constit- 
 uent members. 
 
 3. Public attention in all the States was therefore turned to 
 the consideration and discussion of such a modification of the 
 existing system as should remedy its manifest defects, and, 
 while providing for an eificient administration of the domes- 
 tic and foreign affairs of the Union as a nation, should at the 
 same time secure to its members respectively the rights and 
 powers pertaining to them in their original capacity as sovereign 
 States. 
 
 4. The State of New York occupied a commanding position, 
 at this time, among her sister States. The prominent part 
 taken by her citizens in the Revolutionary struggle ; the fact 
 that she alone of all the United Colonies had promptly met every 
 demand and fulfilled every requisition of the Provisional Gov- 
 eiTiment, and even made advances on her own credit to supply 
 the deficiencies of other States ; her extensive commerce, and 
 vast territory-, and the abilitj"- and patriotism of her leading 
 statesmen, — all entitled her to special consideration, and gave 
 her a powerful influence in the national councils. 
 
 5. As early as 1783, immediately after the conclusion of 
 the treaty of peace, a feeling of jealousy of the concentration 
 of power in the hands of the central government was mani- 
 fested by the repeal in the Legislature of an act passed in 1781, 
 on tlie recommendation of Congress, granting to the United 
 States tiie import duties collected in the port of New York, 
 and directing their collection by officers appointed by Congress ; 
 and by substituting in its stead a similar appropriation of the 
 duties, to be collected, however, by State officers. In the suc- 
 
 ^Vrticles of Confederation. — Propositions for modification of the Articles. 
 — The position of New York. — State jealousy of the national government. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 139 
 
 ceeding year an act was passed by the same body establishing 
 a custom-house and a revenue system in place of the regula- 
 tions previously adopted by Congress. 
 
 6. These acts were the natural result of the large increase 
 of revenue accruing to the State by the revival of trade and 
 commerce consequent on the return of peace and by the 
 navigation laws of the other States, which rendered the city 
 of 2sew Yorli the great commercial mart of the Union. Every 
 effort to restore to Congress the disposition and control of this 
 revenue proved futile. The collectors were appointed by, and 
 made amenable exclusively to, the State authorities ; and the 
 Legislature, in 1 78G, went so far as to make the duties payable 
 in the bills of credit issued by the State. 
 
 7. Congi-ess, perceiving the dangerous consequences to the 
 stability of the national credit of this enactment, — the in- 
 evitable effect of which would be the rapid depreciation of 
 Government securities by the unlimited issue of an incon- 
 vertible paper currency, — requested Governor Clinton to con- 
 vene the Legislature for its reconsideration. This, however, was 
 declined by the Governor, upon the ground that no sufficient 
 cause was shown for the exercise of this extraordinary power, 
 the decision of" the Legislature having been but recently made 
 upon full consideration and mature deliberation. 
 
 8. In the mean time a convention of commissioners from 
 the several States, held at Annapolis, in Maryland, in Sep- 
 tember, 1 786, — New York being represented by General Hamil- 
 ton, — for the purpose of taking into consideration the trade and 
 commerce of the United States, and the necessity and expediency 
 of a uniform system of commercial regulations, recommended 
 the calling by Congress of a convention of delegates to meet at 
 Philadelphia, in May of the ensuing year, for the sole and ex- 
 press purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, and 
 reporting to Congress and the several State legislatures such 
 amendments and modifications as should, when confirmed by the 
 former, and agreed to by the requisite number of States, be 
 
 Collection of revenue. — ProceofUnj^s of the State Legislature. — Prococd- 
 inijs of Congress. — Governor Clinton declines calling an extra session. — 
 Convention of commissioners at Annapolis. — Recommendation for the call 
 of a national convention at Philadelphia. 
 
140 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 found adequate to the exigencies of the Government and the 
 preservation of the Union. 
 
 9. Congress having adopted this recommendation, it 
 became necessary for the Legislature of New York, at its 
 regular session in the -winter of 1787, to determine whether 
 the State should be represented in that bodj', and if so, by 
 whom. General Hamilton succeeded in procuring an election 
 to the Legislature as a representative of the city of jSTew York, 
 and his father-in-law. General Philip Schuyler, was already a 
 member of the Senate. In conjunction with Chief-Justice Jay, 
 Chancellor Livingston, and the Van Rensselaers, these men were 
 regarded as the leading champions of the Federal Government ; 
 while Governor Clinton, who had been successively re-elected to 
 his present position from term to term, since the adoption of 
 the State Constitution in 1777, with Justice Yates of the 
 Sxipreme Court, John Lansing, subsequently Chancellor, and 
 Melancthon Smith, were the prominent advocates of what were 
 deemed States' rights. 
 
 10. The Legislature, on its assembling, after an animated 
 debate, in which Hamilton took a leading part, approved, by a 
 strong vote, the proceeding of the Governor in reference to the 
 convocation of an extra session. Messrs. Yates, Lansing, and 
 Hamilton were appointed delegates to the National Convention 
 at Philadelphia ; their powers being, however, specially re- 
 stricted to the revision of the existing Articles of Confedera- 
 tion, in accordance with the call of the convention. 
 
 11. On the assembling, in May following, of the National Con- 
 vention, presided over by General Washixgtox, a great diver- 
 sity of views prevailed among the delegates as to the proper 
 course to be pursued. One portion of this number, including 
 Messrs. Yates and Lansing of New York, insisted upon confin- 
 ing their deliberations to such an amendment of the Articles of 
 Confederation as should enlarge the powers of the national gov- 
 ernment, and give it greater efficiency. Another, under the 
 lead of Hamilton, advocated the formation of an entirely new 
 Constitution, with ample provisions for the concentration of the 
 
 Procccdinjrs of the Lcfrislature in its session of 1787. — Approval of the 
 Governor's conrrsc. — Appointment of dcicKiites to the National Convention. 
 — Tlieir instructions. — State of parties in the convention. 
 
THE FEDERALIST. ]4l 
 
 executive power in a president and senate, to hold office during 
 good behavior, with the power to appoint State governors and 
 control State legislation, a House of liepresentatives elected 
 triennially, and a permanent judiciary. 
 
 12. A third, whose views ultimately predominated, headed 
 by Randolph of Virginia, in accordance with the views of James 
 iladison, a leading statesman of that Commonwealth, contended 
 for the establishment of a government representing in its Con- 
 stitution both the national and State sovereignty and the peo- 
 ple collectively, — through the President and House of Repre- 
 sentatives, chosen virtually by the people, and a Senate, the 
 members of which should be elected by the State legislatures 
 respectively. 
 
 13. On the final prevalence of this plan, the delegation from 
 Xew York, with the exception of General Hamilton, withdrew 
 from the convention, regarding its determination in this respect 
 as at variance with their instructions and with the explicit object 
 to which the convention itself was restricted. The Constitution 
 — having, however, been completed in accordance with the views 
 of the majority — was, on the 1 7th of September, adopted and 
 submitted for approval to the several States, through conventions 
 to be called for that purpose, the assent of nine of the thirteen 
 States being required for its ratification. 
 
 li. Immediately on its publication in New York, a violent 
 and spirited contest ensued between its advocates and op- 
 ponents, who, in accordance with their previous proclivities, 
 ranged themselves into two distinct and well-organized parties, 
 the former known as Federalists, and the latter as Anti-Federal- 
 ists. Hamilton, in conjunction with Madison and Jay, com- 
 menced and continued in the public papers the admirable series 
 of articles entitled, " The Federalist," which exerted a power- 
 ful influence upon the public mind, and essentially contributed 
 to the final adoption of the Constitution. Its opponents, how- 
 ever, under the lead of Governor Clinton and his associates, 
 backed by the popular majorities which had hitherto sustained 
 them, rallied with great enthusiasm and ability to the defence 
 of State rights. 
 
 Submission of the Constitution to the States. — Organization of par- 
 ties. — " The Federalist." 
 
142 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 15. On the one hand it was urged by the assailants of the 
 proposed Constitution, that by its adoption a fatal blow would be 
 struck at the independent sovereignty of the States, by the grad- 
 ual absorption of the principal functions of government by the 
 central power ; that the wealth and immense resources, of New 
 York especiallj', instead of being devoted to the expansion, de- 
 velopment, and cultivation of its vast territory, and the prosper- 
 ity and welfare of its own citizens, would be largely diverted to 
 the national coffers ; that its preponderance of population would 
 be sacrificed, through the agency of the Senate, to the interests 
 of the smaller States, and the popular element swallowed up by 
 an aristocratic concentration of the executive and legislative 
 departments ; that the inevitable tendency of such a state of 
 things would be to the establishment of a virtually monarchical 
 government ; and that the framers of the instrument submitted 
 for ratification clearly and palpably exceeded the powers con- 
 ferred upon them, which embraced only a revision and modifica- 
 tion, instead of a repeal, of the existing Articles of Confederation. 
 
 1 6. To these arguments it was replied by the Federalists, that 
 the distribution of the powers of the new government was so 
 carefully arranged, that, so far from enabling it to trench upon 
 the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the States, it was itself liable 
 to constant and serious encroachments on their part, thereby 
 weakening instead of strengthening the executive and even the 
 legislative department ; that the existing confederacy, consisting 
 as it did of a mere league of independent States, held together 
 only by the common interest of all its members, and subject to 
 disintegration at the pleasure of any, was wholly inadequate to 
 the piu-poses of government, and unsusceptible of any alteration 
 not radically affecting the fundamental principle of its Constitu- 
 tion ; that in view of the probable assent of the requisite number 
 of States for the ratification of the new Constitution, independent- 
 ly of the vote of New York, that State would occupy the unenvi- 
 able and untenable position of a neutral sovereign, surrounded 
 by a gi-eat nation, bound together by a federative union ; and 
 that ample provision was made by the instrument submitted for 
 adoption, by which the rights and interests of all classes of 
 citizens and all State organizations were effectually secured. 
 
 Arguments of the Anti-Federalists. — Ecply of the Federalists. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 143 
 
 1 7. Governor Clinton, in his annual message to the 
 Legislature of 1788, avoided all allusion to the proposed 
 submission of the Constitution to the approval of the State. 
 The subject was, however, brought before the Legislature on the 
 1 7th of January, by a resolution proposing the call of a conven- 
 tion for that purpose, which, after some opposition, was passed ; 
 and in the ensuing spring sixty-seven delegates were elected 
 to the convention at Poughkeepsie, of whom a clear majority 
 were opposed to the Constitution. Alexander Hamilton, John 
 Jay, Chancellor Livingston, Chief-Justice llichard Jklorris, and 
 James Duane were returned from the city of New York ; and 
 Messrs. Yates and Lansing, Governor Clinton and his brother 
 James Clinton, and Melancthon Smith, were among the dele- 
 gates from the other counties. 
 
 18. The convention organized on the 17th of June by the 
 appointment of George Clinton as President. A majority of 
 its members strongly urged the calling of a new national con- 
 vention, for the purpose of making additional amendments 
 specified by them, or at the least giving their assent to the pro- 
 posed Constitution on condition of the adoption of such amend- 
 ments ; but on the receipt of intelligence of the ratification of 
 the Constitution by the requisite number of States, contented 
 themselves with its adoption on the 26th of July, by a vote of 
 thirty to twenty-seven, with the recommendation merely of the 
 proposed amendments. 
 
 19. On the 13th of September the new Constitution was 
 officially proclaimed ; and on the 8th of December the Legis- 
 lature, specially convened by Governor Clinton, proceeded to 
 the choice of five delegates to represent the State in the con- 
 chading session of the Continental Congress. Provision was also 
 made, on a subsequent day, for the choice of presidential elec- 
 tors, and the State divided into congressional districts, in 
 pursuance of which, Egbert Benson, William Floyd, John Ha- 
 thorn, Jeremiah Van Eensselaer, and Peter Sylvester were 
 elected representatives in the First Congress of the United States. 
 
 Election of delegates to State Convention at Poufrhkecpsio. — Ratification 
 of the Constitution. — Official proclamation of tlio Constitmion. — Spccinl 
 session of the Lesislature. — Choice of presidential electors and representa- 
 tives in Congress. 
 
U4 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 20. The two Houses not being able to agree upon the mode 
 of choosing senators, the State remained unrepresented in the 
 Senate during the first session. An address to Congress was 
 adopted, requesting the call of another convention at the 
 earliest practicable period, for the purpose of proposing amend- 
 ments to the national Constitution. Important improvements 
 in legal jurisprudence, chiefly prepared by Samuel Jones, an 
 eminent lawyer, were also ingrafted upon the statute-book of 
 the State. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Organization of the National Government. — Inauguration op 
 Washington and Adams. — Internal Impbovements. — Public 
 Lands. 
 
 1. Early in February, 1789, the presidential electors of the 
 several States assembled at their respective capitals, and 
 unanimously made choice of George Washington of Vir- 
 ginia as President, and John Adams of Massachusetts as Vice- 
 President, of the United States. The city of New York having 
 been selected by Congress as the seat of the national government, 
 the City Hall, in which the Continental Congi'ess was accus- 
 tomed to hold its sessions, was remodelled and repaired for the 
 accommodation of its successors. On the 4th of March, the day 
 appointed for the organization of the new government, the hall 
 wa.s thrown open amid the firing of cannon and ringing of bells. 
 A few only of the members of Congress, however, made their 
 appearance ; and in their absence the residue, owing to the state 
 of the roads and the deficiency of public conveyances, awaited 
 for upwards of a month the arrival of their colleagues. On the 
 6th of April a sufficient number had arrived to constitute a 
 quorum ; and the Senate and House of Representatives effected 
 an organization, and proceeded to count the votes for President 
 and Vice-President and declare the result. 
 
 Recommendation for new convention to propose amendments to the Con- 
 stitution. — Improvement of the law. — Election of President and Vice-Presi- 
 dent. — Orfranization of the new government. — First meeting of Congress 
 at New Yorli. 
 
WASHINGTON'S INAUGURATION. 145 
 
 2. On. the 21st, Yice-President Adams arrived in the city, 
 having been conducted with a mihtary escort from the boundary 
 of the State to Kingsbridge by Governor Clinton, where he was 
 received by both branches of Congress, and accompanied by them 
 to the City Hall. Two days afterwards, President Washington 
 an-ived from Mount Vernon, whence his journey to the capital 
 had been a continuous triumphal procession. At Alexandria, 
 Georgetown, Philadelphia, and Trenton his progress was greeted 
 with the most enthusiastic demonstrations. 
 
 3. At Elizabethtown, Now Jersey, he was taken in charge by a 
 committee of Congress, and embarking in a barge, splendidly 
 decorated, was conducted to the foot of Wall Street, where he 
 was received by the Governor and the municipal authorities and 
 a large procession of citizens, and escorted to his residence in 
 Cherry Street. In the evening the city was brilliantly illumi- 
 nated, and a splendid display of fireworks closed the festivities 
 of the day. 
 
 4. At noon on the 30th of April, after the performance of re- 
 ligious services in all the churches of the city, the inauguration 
 ceremonies were commenced by the formation of a procession 
 from the house of the President elect, headed by the city cavalry, 
 and consisting of the members of Congress and heads of depart- 
 ments in carriages, followed by Washington in a separate car- 
 riage, and his military family and resident foreign ministers in 
 others. 
 
 5. On reaching the Senate Chamber he was received by the 
 A'ice-President and conducted to the balcony fronting on Broad 
 Street, where, in the presence of an immense crowd, the oath 
 of office was administered by Chancellor Livingston. Return- 
 ing to the Senate Chamber, the President delivered the inaugu- 
 ral address, after which the whole assembly proceeded on foot 
 to St. Paul's Church in Broadway, where praj'ers were read by 
 the chaplain to the Senate, and at their conclusion the Presi- 
 dent was escorted to his residence. A display of fireworks in 
 the evening concluded the ceremonies. 
 
 6. The triumph of the Federalists in the adoption of the Con- 
 stitution, and the prevailing popular sentiment in favor of the 
 
 Arrival of the President and Vice-President. — Triumphal progress of 
 Washington. — Inauguration ceremonies. 
 IC 
 
146 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 new administration of the general government, gave rise to a 
 strong feeling of opposition to the re-election of Governor 
 Clinton, whose oificial term would expire in July. Vigorous 
 efforts were accordingly made, preparatory to the April elections, 
 to replace him by Associate-Justice Egbert Yates, of the Su- 
 preme Court, who although a leading opponent of the new Con- 
 stitut'-on, had since its ratification uniformly given it, officially 
 and otherwise, his support, and who, from his popularity with 
 the Anti-Federalists, might, it was supposed, detach a sufficient 
 number of his friends from the support of Governor Clinton to 
 insure his defeat. 
 
 7. The contest, however, after an animated canvass, resulted 
 in the re-election of Governor Clinton by a reduced majority. 
 Notwithstanding the general success of the Federalists in both 
 branches of the Legislature, Pierre Van Cortlandt was elected 
 Lieutenant-Governor. Both General Hamilton and Colonel 
 Burr actively participated in the contest as supporters of Jus- 
 tice Yates, as did most of the prominent and leading men of the 
 Federal party. 
 
 8. On the 6th of July the Legislature convened in special ses- 
 sion under the proclamation of the Governor ; and on the 19th, 
 General Philip Schuyler and Rufus King were appointed sen- 
 ators of the United States. The latter gentleman had been a 
 representative from Massachusetts in the Continental Congress, 
 where he had distinguished himself for his abilities and practical 
 talents, and had but recently become a citizen of New York. 
 No other business of general importance was transacted during 
 the session. 
 
 9. During the second session of the first Congress, which 
 convened on the 8th of January, 1 790, the Secretary of 
 the Treasury, General Hamilton, proposed the assumption of 
 the foreign and domestic public debt, amounting to fifty-four 
 millions of dollars, together with the debts of the respective 
 States contracted during the war, estimated at about half that 
 amount. So acrimonious were the debates and discussions on 
 
 Opposition to the re-election of Governor Clinton. — Nomination of Chief- 
 Ju:'tice Yates. — His support by tlie Foileralists. — Rc-clcction of Clinton. 
 — General snrcess of the Federalists. — Appointment of United States sen' 
 ators. — Hamilton's plan for the assumption of the public debt. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 147 
 
 the latter part of this proposition, that serious apprehensions 
 Tvere entertained of the dissolution of the Union. Through the 
 joint exertions of Hamilton and Jefferson, however, the meas- 
 ure was finally adopted by the vote of the Southern delegates, 
 in return for which the North consented to the permanent loca- 
 tion of the national capital on the banks of the Potomac after 
 the expiration of ten years, during which its seat should be at 
 Philadelphia. The State election in April resulted in a Federal 
 majority in both Houses. 
 
 10. The Legislature assembled in the city of New York 
 
 1791 
 on the 3d of January, 1791. By the census of the pre- 
 ceding year the population of the State amounted to 324,127, 
 showing an increase chiefly in the northern and western coun- 
 ties of upwards of 85,000 during the past five years. A new 
 apportionment of representatives and senatore became, therefore, 
 necessary, and was recommended by the Governor in his annual 
 message ; and a communication between the Hudson and Lake 
 Champlain on the north and Wood Creek on the west, by clear- 
 ing out the obstructions in the Mohawk, and cutting a canal, 
 were suggested for the purpose of affording greater facilities to 
 the settlers in that region. 
 
 11. The term of office of General Schuyler as United States 
 Senator having expired, Aaugn Burr was appointed as his suc- 
 cessor. A new apportionment of senatorial districts was made, 
 the State being divided into four great districts, — Eastern, West- 
 ern, Southern, and Middle ; the Eastern and Western each elect- 
 ing five, the Middle six, and the Southern eight senators. Three 
 new counties — Herkimer, Otsego, and Tioga — were formed out 
 of Montgomery, formerly a portion of Tryon County. The As- 
 sembly under the new apportionment consisted of seventy-three 
 and the Senate of twenty-four members. The State elections 
 in April exhibited no material change in the state of par- 
 ties. 
 
 1 2. At the termination of the war the State found itself the 
 owner of more than seven millions of acres of wild, unculti- 
 
 Rcmoval of the capital. — State election. — Meeting of the Legislature. 
 — Population of the State. — Eecomraendations of the Governor — Inter- 
 nal improvement. — Election of Aaron Burr as United States Senator. — 
 Keapportionment of the State. 
 
148 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 vated, and unimproved lands, situated chiefly in the northern 
 and western portions of its territory. Prior to the present year 
 few sales of this vast possession had been made ; and an act was 
 accordingly passed authorizing the Commissioners of the Land 
 Office, consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney- 
 General, Treasurer, and Auditor, to dispose of these lands in 
 such manner as they should judge most conducive to the public 
 interests. 
 
 13. Under this act, upwards of five miUions of acres were 
 sold during the year for about one million of dollars, — more 
 than one half of the whole to a single individual, — Alexander 
 McComb, — for eightpence per acre, on a long credit without in- 
 terest. Large parcels were also sold for a trifling consideration 
 to other purchasers. Such an indiscriminate and wholesale 
 disposition of this vast inheritance was, to say the least, injudi- 
 cious in the extreme, and wholly indefensible on any sound 
 principles of political economy, and could scarcely fail to sub- 
 ject its agents to severe condemnation. 
 
 14. During the session ensuing, commencing on the 5th 
 of January, 1792, an act was passed, in accordance with 
 the recommendation of the Governor, incorporating the " West- 
 ern Inland Lock Navigation Company," of which General Philip 
 Schuyler was President, for the improvement of the navigation 
 of the Mohawk Eiver and the construction of a canal from 
 thence to Seneca Lake and Lake Ontario. The " Northern In- 
 land Lock Navigation Company '' was soon afterwards organized 
 under the same auspices, for the purpose of opening a communi- 
 cation between the Hudson River and Lake Champlain, and the 
 route carefully surveyed by Mr. Weston, a civil engineer, and 
 Thomas Eddy ; thereby laying a foundation for those magnifi- 
 cent works of internal improvement, destined hereafter to exert 
 so great an influence on the prosperity of the State. 
 
 15. The Governor, in his speech at the opening of the session, 
 recommended the application of the proceeds from the sale of 
 unappropriated lands to the payment of the State debt and 
 the current expenses of the government. This opened the 
 
 The public lands. — Act providing for their sale. — Disposition of them. 
 — Western and Northern Inland Lock Navigation Companies. — Proceed- 
 ings of the Legislature. 
 
THE FRENCH MINISTER. 149 
 
 ■whole question of the disposition of the public lands, and gave 
 rise to an animated debate in the House on a resolution censur- 
 ing, in strong terms, the commissioners for the course pursued 
 by them, resulting, however, in the rejection of the resolution, 
 and the adoption of a substitute, approving their proceed- 
 ings. 
 
 16. The April elections, after a spirited canvass, resulted in 
 the re-election, by a close vote, of Governor Clinton and Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor Van Coetlandt, over Chief-Justice Jay and 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer, the candidates of the Federalists. On 
 the 6th of November the Legislature again assembled in New 
 York, and proceeded to the choice of presidential electors. The 
 presidential canvass resulted in the unanimous re-election of 
 General 'Washington and Vice-President Adams. 
 
 17. The arrival of Citizen Genet, in the spring of 1793, 
 as the envoy of the new French Republic, a few days after 
 
 the declaration of war between that country and England, was 
 the harbinger of new political complications. The obvious policy 
 of the American Government was that of strict neutrality, while 
 all the sympathies of the people were with their late chivalrous 
 allies in the Revolutionary struggle. The Federalists ranged 
 themselves, as a party, in support of the Government, and their 
 opponents in favor of active interference in behalf of the French. 
 Genet, secure of the popular support, proceeded to fit out priva- 
 teers for the destruction of British commerce on the high seas, 
 while Washington sternly declared his determination of enforc- 
 ing the proclamation of neutrality. 
 
 18. The reception of the French minister in the city of New 
 York in the summer of this year was enthusiastic in the extreme, 
 and his hostility to England was so warmly seconded through- 
 out the countrj', that nearly fifty British vessels were captured 
 during the year by privateers from the various ports manned by 
 American seamen. Genet stUl further strengthened his interest 
 and increased his popularity by a marriage with the daughter 
 of Governor Clinton, the leader of the republican party. He 
 
 Dcb.ite on the public lands. — Approval of the commissioners. — Re- 
 election of Governor Clinton. — Meeting of the Legislature. — Choice of 
 presiriential electors. — Ee-election of President Washington and Vice- 
 President Adams. — Diplomatic mission of Citizen Genet. 
 
150 SIX2H PERIOD. 
 
 was, however, soon afterwards recalled, on the demand of the 
 President, by the French Government ; but, although deprived 
 of all ofi&cial authority, still remained in the country, of which he 
 became a permanent citizen. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FOUSDATION OF THE CoMMON-ScHOOL StSTEM. — AdMINISTEATION OF 
 
 GovESNOR Jay. — Inteenal Improvements. 
 
 1. The Legislature met at Poughkeepsie on the 6th of Janu- 
 ary, 1795. Governor Clinton communicated his annual 
 message, in which, after renewing his recommendation for 
 
 the revision of the criminal code, he reminded the Legislature, 
 thatj while liberal provisions had been made for the endowment 
 of colleges and other higher seminaries of learning, no legislative 
 aid had yet been afforded to the Common Schools. Deeply im- 
 pressed with the paramount importance of these agencies for the 
 diffusion of knowledge among the people, he earnestly recom- 
 mended a suitable provision for their encouragement and support. 
 
 2. An act was accordingly, at an early period of the session, 
 introduced and passed into a law, appropriating an annual sum 
 of fifty thousand dollars for five years to this object, the inter- 
 est of which was directed to be paid over to the several county 
 treasurers in amounts proportioned to the population of the 
 respective counties and towns, the latter of which were also re- 
 quired to raise by tax an amount equal to one half of the appor- 
 tionment made to them respectively, — the whole to be applied, 
 under the direction of proper officers in each school-district, to 
 the payment of the wages of teachers duly employed and proper- 
 ly qualified. This was the origin of the present Common-School 
 system of the State, now so important and flourishing a branch 
 of its government. 
 
 3. On the 27th of January, Rufus King was re-elected a Sen- 
 ator in Congress for the ensuing term of six years. Governor 
 
 Session of 1 795. — Governor's message. — Original foundation of the Com- 
 mon-School system. — Re-election of Euftis King as United States Senator. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 151 
 
 Clinton's official term having nearly expired, he declined being 
 considered as a candidate for re-election. A continuous service 
 of nearly thirty years in the colonial assemblies and executive 
 department had undermined his health, and entitled him, in 
 his judgment, to a retirement from the public service. Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor Van Cortlaudt also declined a re-election on ac- 
 coiint of his advanced age. John Jay was again placed in 
 nomination by the Federalists as Governor, with Stephen Van 
 Rexsselaer for Lieutenant-Governor, while the Republicans 
 nominated Chief-Justice Yates and William Floyd as their can- 
 didates. 
 
 4. At the ensuing spring election, Messrs. Jay and Van Rens- 
 selaer were duly elected, with a decided Federal majority in 
 both Houses of the Legislature. Mr. Jay, at the time of his elec- 
 tion, was absent from the country, having been despatched to 
 England by the United States Government to negotiate a treaty 
 with Great Britain. He arrived at New York on the 26th of 
 May, where he was received with the greatest enthusiasm. The 
 treaty with England concluded by him was exceedingly unpopu- 
 lar with the Republican party throughout the country, which 
 sympathized almost universally with the French revolutionists, 
 and were equally hostile to British influence. 
 
 5. Governor Jay, in his speech at the opening of the 
 session of 1796, after expressing his acknowledgments for 
 
 the confidence reposed in him by the electors, urged the adop- 
 tion of efficient measures for the military defence of the State 
 in the event of invasion. Provision was made by the Legisla- 
 ture for the improvement of the criminal jurisprudence, and for 
 a reapportionment of representatives and senators under the 
 census of the preceding year. A bill was introduced early in 
 the session, in accordance with the views of Governor Jay, pro- 
 viding for the gradual abolition of slavery in the State, which, 
 however, after a prolonged and exciting debate, was virtually de- 
 feated by a close vote, in conamittee of the whole, by the adop- 
 tion of a resolution providing for compensation to the holders 
 of that species of property. 
 
 Governor Clinton declines a re-election. — John Jay elected Governor. 
 — Jay's treaty. — Meeting of the Legislature. — Bill for the abolition of 
 
 slavery. 
 
152 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 6. Through the violent and revolutionary excesses of the 
 French republic, and the rash and indiscreet conduct of their 
 agent, M. Genet, in this country, the popular excitement against 
 the treaty concluded by Governor Jay with Great Britain had to 
 a very great extent subsided. The universal confidence reposed in 
 the administration of General AVashington, whose second term 
 approached its close, and who declined a re-election, and the high 
 character of Jay in connection with his unexceptionable dis- 
 charge of the official duties intrusted to him, had strengthened 
 the hold which the Federal party had already obtained upon the 
 public confidence and support. The spring elections, therefore, 
 exhibited the usual preponderance of that party in both 
 branches of the Legislature. 
 
 7. This body assembled in the city of New York on the Ist 
 of November for the choice of presidential electors, and ap- 
 pointed electors, who cast the twelve votes of the State in favor 
 of John Adams of Massachusetts for President, and Thomas 
 Pinckney of South Carolina for Vice-President. John Law- 
 rence, of the city of New York, was chosen United States Sen- 
 ator in place of Rufus King, who had recently been appointed 
 Minister to England. The Legislature then adjourned to meet 
 at Albany on the 3d of January ensuing. The congressional 
 election in December terminated in the election of the Repub- 
 lican candidates, — Edward Livingston of New York, Philip 
 Van Cortlandt of West Chester, J. N. Havens of Suffolk, and 
 Lucas Elmendorff of Ulster. 
 
 8. On the reassembling of the Legislatiu-e, an act was 
 passed creating the office of Comptroller, which was be- 
 stowed upon Samuel Jones, of New York. The county of 
 Delaware was erected from portions of Albany and Ulster ; and 
 the seat of government was permanently located at Albany, and 
 provision made for the erection of a capitol and suitable govern- 
 ment offices. Colonel Burr's term of office as United States 
 Senator having expired, Philip Schuyler, of Albany, was chosen 
 in his place. 
 
 9. In the mean time, John Adams, of Massachusetts, had been 
 
 Sprinf,' elections. — Meeting? of the Legislature. — Presidential electors. — 
 Tonjircssional elections. — United States senators. — Appointment of Comp- 
 troller, — Location of the capital at Albany. 
 
ADAMS AND JEFFERSON. 153 
 
 elected President, and Thomas Jefferson, of Virginia, Vice- 
 President of the United States, and duly inaugurated at Phila- 
 delphia on the 4th of March. The State elections in April indi- 
 cated a decided gain in favor of the Republicans, especially in 
 the city of New York, where their representatives in the Legis- 
 lature, including Aaron Burr, Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, and De 
 Witt Clinton, were returned by a heavy majority. 
 
 10. Governor Jay and Lieutenant-Governor Van Rens- 
 
 1798 
 
 SELAEB, were re-elected, the latter unanimously, and the 
 former by a decided majority over Chancellor Livingston, the 
 candidate of the Republicans. This party, however, obtained 
 a decided preponderance in the Legislature. De Witt Clinton 
 and Ambrose Spencer were elected to the Senate ; and among 
 the leading Republican representatives in the Assembly were 
 Aaron Burr and John Swartwout of New York, David Thomas 
 of Washington, Erastus Root of Delaware, Obadiah German of 
 Chenango, and Jedediah Peck of Otsego. 
 
 11. At this period the line of demarcation between the 
 Federalists and Republicans was strongly marked, and party dis- 
 sensions ran high. The administration of the general govern- 
 ment, under the elder Adams, supported by General Hamilton 
 and Governor Jay, was characterized by a series of high-handed 
 and despotic measures, altogether at variance with the demo- 
 cratic principles which were beginning to prevail. Governor 
 Jay, ten years previously, in a communication to General Wash- 
 ington, had expressed opinions decidedly averse to the sove- 
 reigntj' of the States, and in favor of a concentration of power 
 in the general government ; and the recognized leaders of the 
 Federal party were despondent as to the issue of the experiment 
 of republican institutions. 
 
 12. In the mean time these men were the dispensers of Fed- 
 eral and State patronage, increased by a system of internal tax- 
 ation adopted by the United States Government ; a standing 
 army had been organized, unlimited authority to borrow money 
 confeiTed upon the President, and arbitraiy authority to prose- 
 cute and imprison all aliens or citizens venturing to arraign the 
 
 Election nf Adams and Jefferson as President and Viec-President. — State 
 elections. — Spring elections. — Re-election of Governor Jay and Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor Van Rensselaer. — State of parties. 
 
154 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 proceeding or policy of the administration exercised without 
 restraint. All these circumstances combined to create an in- 
 tense feeling of hostility to the party in power, both in the State 
 and nation. 
 
 13. A special session of the Legislature was convened at 
 Albany, by Governor Jay, in August. A war with France 
 being imminent, as the result of the special mission to France 
 of Messrs. Pinckney, Gerry, and Marshall and the nefarious 
 practices of the French Republic, the Governor called the atten- 
 tion of the Legislature to the necessity of efficient preparations, 
 on the part of the State, for defence, to which that body re- 
 sponded with energy and vigor. 
 
 14. The first practical suggestion for the improvement of 
 the facilities for internal communication between the Atlantic 
 Ocean and the northern lakes was made by General Washing- 
 ton in 1784. Having, during that year, personally explored 
 the region between the Hudson River and Lakes Erie and On- 
 tario, by the route of the Mohawk River, Wood Creek, Oneida 
 Lake, and the Oswego River, and made a tour through Lakes 
 George and Champlain to Crown Point, he communicated to 
 Mr. Jefferson, the Secretary of State, and others of his cor- 
 respondents, his views of the importance of opening and im- 
 proving those channels of communication. 
 
 15. At about the same period, Christopher Colles, a resi- 
 dent of the city of New York, who some twelve years previous 
 had delivered a course of public lectures in Philadelphia on 
 the subject of Lock Navigation, submitted a proposition to the 
 State Legislature for the improvement of the navigation of the 
 Mohawk. That body, deeming the enterprise too expensive for 
 State adoption, offered to secure to him and his associates all 
 profits which might accrue from its prosecution by private 
 means, and in 1785 made him a grant of one hundred and 
 twenty-five dollars for its encouragement. 
 
 16. During that year, Mr. Colles issued proposals for the es- 
 tablishment of a company for the improvement of the inland 
 
 Legislative proceedings. — Apprehensions of war with France. — Origin 
 of the system of internal improvements. — General Washington's explora- 
 tions and views. — Proposition of Christopher Colles. — Legislative en- 
 couragement. 
 
THE STATE GOVERXMENT. 155 
 
 navigation between Albany and Oswego, setting forth, with 
 great ability and comprehensiveness, the advantages which 
 v.ould accrue from such an enterprise, and the facilities for its 
 accomplishment. In the succeeding year the Legislature, on 
 the renewal of his application, evinced their approbation and a 
 sense of its importance, but no effectual measures were taken 
 for its prosecution, and it was abandoned by its enterprising pro- 
 jector, who long afterwards died in obscurity in the city which 
 his genius, if properly encouraged, would have enriched. Others 
 were destined to reap the abundant harvest of the fertile seeds 
 sown by him. 
 
 17. At the opening of the session of the Legislature in 1791, 
 Governor George Cunton adverted to the importance of pro- 
 viding facilities 01 communication between the seaboard and the 
 frontiers of the State ; and an act was passed directing the ex- 
 ploration and survey of the route between the Mohawk and 
 Hudson Rivers and Wood Creek with the view to the construc- 
 tion of a canal. At the succeeding session the report of the 
 commissioners appointed for that purpose was favorable, and 
 Governor Clinton renewed his recommendation for its earnest 
 consideration. 
 
 18. In the mean time. General Philip Schuyler and Elka- 
 KAH Watson, in ignorance of the plans and views of Mr. CoUes, 
 had exerted themselves with great energy and spirit in the prose- 
 cution of the same idea. In 1791, Mr. Watson made a journey 
 through the western portion of the State, discovered its facili- 
 ties for internal navigation, and published a series of able es- 
 says, which essentially contributed to the adoption of initiatory 
 measures for carrying out this important project. 
 
 19. During the session of the Legislature in 1792, as already 
 stated, acts had been passed incorporating the Western and the 
 Northern Inland Lock Navigation Companies, the harbingers of 
 the Erie and Champlain Canals. General Schuj'ler was elected 
 President of the joint company ; and among its most efficient 
 members were Thomas Eddy, Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, Barent 
 
 Unsuccessful efforts of Mr. CoUes. — Governor Clinton's messages. — 
 Survey of the route. — Favorable report. — Efforts of General Schuyler and 
 Elkanah Watson. — Incorporation of the Western and Northern Inland 
 Lock Navigation Company. — Its principal directors. 
 
lo6 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 Bleecker, Elkanah Watson, and Robert Bowne. Its objects were 
 the improvement of the navigation of the Mohawk River, and 
 the opening of canals and lock navigation between that river to 
 Seneca Lake and Lake Ontario, and between the Hudson and 
 Lake Champlain. 
 
 20. In the yeai" 1796 the Western Company had completed a 
 canal at the Little Falls of about three miles in length, with five 
 locks, and another of a mile and a quarter at German Flats ; and, 
 in 1797, one from the ilohawk to Wood Creek, nearly two miles 
 in length, ^- making in all about seven miles, with nine locks. 
 Between the Hudson and Lake Champlain the Northern Com- 
 pany had accomplished nothing of importance. The expenses 
 of construction, reconstruction, and repairs of the canal between 
 Schenectady and the Oneida Lake, when finally completed, were 
 found to be so great that the toUs required for its navigation 
 rendered it vii-tually useless. 
 
 21. In 1798 an act was passed incorporating a company for 
 the construction of a canal from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, with 
 sufficient lockage, passing around the cataract of Niagara. Up 
 to this period no distinct conception of a canal, with lock navi- 
 gation, from the Hudson to Lake Erie, seems to have been en- 
 tertained in any quarter ; and no further efforts were made for 
 caiTj'ing into effect the partial enterprises which were already 
 commenced. All that had been accomplished was the removal 
 of obstructions from the channel of the Mohawk and its tribu- 
 tary streams, and the construction, at an enormous expense, of a 
 small canal connecting it with the adjacent waters. 
 
 22. An act "for supplying the city of New York with 
 pure and wholesome water " was passed during the session 
 of the Legislature of 1 799, which was afterwards found to confer 
 very important banking powers, under a clause authorizing the 
 establishment of the Manhattan Bank, and gave rise to very se- 
 rious political complications, resulting in the defeat of many of 
 the leading Republican candidates at the spring election, espe- 
 cially in the city of New York, and the triumph of the Federal 
 party throughout the State. These successes were, however. 
 
 Objects of the Western and Northern Inland I^ock Navigation Company. 
 — Canal at Little Falls. — German Flats and Wood Crook. — Proposed ca- 
 nal from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie. — The Manhattan Bank Cluirter. 
 
DEATH OF WASHINGTON. 157 
 
 neutralized by the intolerant enforcement of the unpopular se- 
 ditious laws of the general govenmient by the executive officers 
 of the State and nation. 
 
 23. The death of General Washington, on the Uth of De- 
 cember, cast a deep gloom over the whole country. The most 
 imposing funeral honors were paid to his memory in all the 
 principal towns and cities of the Union ; and in the city of New- 
 York especiallj', all parties vied in the expression of their sym- 
 pathy for the general loss. 
 
 24. The Legislature met at Albany on the 28th of Janu- 
 ary, 1800. The Governor, after pronomicing a brief and 
 feeling eulogy upon General AVashington, submitted various 
 recommendations for amendment of the existing laws, and con- 
 cluded by earnestly urging upon the Legislature an adequate 
 provision for the support of common schools. Gouveeneur 
 Morris was chosen United States Senator in place of James 
 Watson, resigned. 
 
 25. The April elections resulted in a complete triumph of the 
 Republican (now known as the Democratic) party. De Witt 
 Clinton, Brockholst Livingston, Mr. Swartwont, General Gates, 
 John Broome, Henry Rutgers, and Samuel Osgood were elected 
 to the Legislature from the city of New York, Aaron Burr from 
 Orange, and Smith Thompson from Dutchess. Thomas Jeffer- 
 son, of Virginia, was nominated by the National Republican 
 Convention at Philadelphia, held in May, for President, and 
 Aaron Burr for Vice-President. Messrs. Adams and Pinckney 
 were renominated for these positions by the Federalists. 
 
 26. On the first Tuesday in November the Legislature con- 
 vened, and the Republican candidates for electors of President 
 and Vice-President were elected by a large majority. Joiix 
 Armstrong was elected United States Senator in place of John 
 Lawrence resigned, after which the Legislature adjourned until 
 the last Tuesday in January. George Clinton was placed in 
 nomination by the Republican member for Governor, and 
 
 Intolerant proceedings of the Federalists. — Death of "WashiuL'ton. — 
 Legislature of 1800, — Result of April elections. — The Democnuy tri- 
 umphant. — Nominations for President and Vice-President. — Choice of 
 presidential electors. — Election of United States Senator. — Nomination 
 of candidates for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. 
 
158 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 Jeremiah Tax Rensselaer for Lieutenant-Governor ; and Ste- 
 phen Van Eensselaer and James Watson were the candidates of 
 the Federalists. 
 
 CHAPTER IV- 
 
 Orgaxizatiox of the Common-School System. — Re-electio*' op 
 Governor George Clinton. — Duel between Hamilton and 
 BuiiR. — Death of Hamilton. 
 
 1. During the session of the Legislature of the ensuing year, 
 
 the first of the century, a biU for the organization of the 
 Common Schools of the State was introduced by Judge 
 Peck, of Otsego, and an act passed directing the raising by lot- 
 tery, under the control of managers appointed by the State, of 
 the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, twelve thousand five 
 hundred of which were to be apportioned by the regents of the 
 University among the colleges and academies, and the residue, 
 including the avails of the fund previously appropriated in 1 795, 
 among- the Common Schools in such manner as the Legislature 
 should prescribe. An act was also passed, recommending a con- 
 vention of delegates to be held at Albany in the ensuing Oc- 
 tober, for the amendment of the existing Constitution of the 
 State in reference to the apportionment of members of the Legis- 
 lature and the appointing power. 
 
 2. On counting the votes for President and Vice-President by 
 Congress in February, it was ascertained that Thomas Jeffer- 
 son and Aaron Burr had each received seventy-three votes for 
 their respective offices, and John Adams and Mr. Pinckney each 
 sixty-five votes. Under the then existing provisions of the Con- 
 stitution, requiring the election of the highest candidates voted 
 for as President, and the next highest as Vice-President, no choice 
 Iiad been effected, and the election was thrown into the House 
 of Representatives. The ballotings by States in this body con- 
 tinued, amid intense excitement, during four days and nights ; 
 
 Orj!;aTiization of tlic Common-School system. — Recommendation of a 
 convention for tlie ixmendmeiit of tlie Constitution. — Contest between Jeffer- 
 son and E'.irr for the Presidency. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 159 
 
 and it was not until the thirty-sixth ballot that Mr. Jefferson 
 ■was finally declared elected President, and Mr. Burr Vice-Presi- 
 dent. 
 
 3. "Whatever may have been his private intrigues, it does not 
 appear that Colonel Burr had in any way openly participated in 
 tliis contest. During its prevalence he remained at Albany, in 
 the discharge of his legislative duties ; and although it is scarcely 
 to be supposed that he was devoid of interest in the result, there 
 is nothing to show that any efforts were made on his part to do- 
 feat Mr. Jefferson, the candidate of his party. IJis previous 
 high standing, however, as a Eepublican leader was seriously 
 impaired. 
 
 4. The spring elections resulted in the choice of Governor 
 George Clixtox, and Lieutenant-Governor Jeremiah Van Rens- 
 selaer, with a Republican majority in both branches of the Legis- 
 lature. Both the national and State governments were now in 
 the hands of the Republican or Democratic party. At the spe- 
 cial election, in August, for delegates to the State Constitutional 
 Convention, a similar preponderance of Republicans appeared. 
 John V. Henry was chosen from Albany, De Witt Clinton from 
 Kings, Aaron Bun- from Orange, William P. Van Ness and 
 Daniel D. Tomjikins from New Yorli, and Smith Thompson from 
 Dutchess. 
 
 5. Tlie convention assembled at Albany on the 13th of Octo- 
 ber, and organized its deliberations by the election of Colonel 
 Burr as President. After transacting the special business for 
 which they were convened, an adjournment was effected at an 
 early day. John Lansing, Jr., was appointed Chancellor in 
 place of Mr. Livingston, who was soon afterwards made, by the 
 President, Minister to France, where he succeeded in negotiating 
 the celebrated treaty for the purchase of Louisiana. 
 
 6. The Legislatijre met at Albany on the 26th of Janu- 
 
 1 802 
 
 ary, 1802, and Ambrose Spencer was appointed, by the 
 Council, Attorney-General in j)lace of Josiah Ogden Hoffman, re- 
 signed. An apportionment of the members of assembly, now 
 
 Agency of Burr in the contest. — Re-election of Governor Clinton and 
 Liuutcnant-Govcrnor Van Eensselacr. — State elections. — Proccctlinirs of 
 the Convention. — Appointment of Chancellor. — Meeting of the Legislature. 
 — Ambrose Spencer appointed Attorney-General. 
 
160 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 iixed by the amended Constitution at one hundred, was made, 
 and a resohition adopted on motion of Mr. Chnton, proposing 
 an amendment to the United States Constitution, providing for 
 tlie choice of clectoi-s of President and Vice-President by single 
 electoral districts, and requiring such electors to designate on 
 their ballots the person voted for by them for each office. 
 
 7. On the 9th of February, De Witt Clinton was elected 
 United .States Senator in place of General Armstrong, resigned. 
 The spring elections resulted in another Democratic triumph, 
 including every member of the Senate and a large majority in 
 the House. Soon after this period an imbittered personal and 
 political warfare sprang up between the friends of Colonel Burr 
 and those of De Witt Clinton, carried on through the columns 
 of the American Citizen, edited by James Cheetham, in the 
 interest of the latter, and the Morning Chronicle, edited by 
 Dr. Irving, in that of the former, and resulting in a duel be- 
 tween Mr. Clinton and Mr. Swartwout. 
 
 8. "When the Legislature convened in Januaiy of the succeed- 
 ing year, it speedily became apparent that a large majority of its 
 members disapproved of the conduct of Colonel Burr, and that 
 he and his friends no longer possessed the confidence of the Re- 
 liublican part3^ The latter obtained a signal and decisive tri- 
 umph at the April elections. De Witt Clinton was appointed 
 Mayor of the city of Xew York in place of Edward Livingston, 
 who had been appointed, by the President, United States District 
 Attorney ; and Ambrose Spencer was appointed a Judge of the 
 Supreme C'oiu't in place of Jacob RadclifF, resigned. 
 
 9. On the 31st of January, 1804, the Legislature again 
 assembled. The Governor communicated to both Houses 
 the amendment of the Constitution recently adopted, requiring 
 the presidential electors to designate the candidates voted for 
 rcspeetivelj- as President and Vice-President. Governor George 
 Clinton was placed in nomination by the democracy of the na- 
 
 De Witt Clinton appointed United States Senator. — Projiosed amendment 
 to tlic national Constitntion. — Controversy between the friends of Clinton 
 and Burr. — Duel between Clinton and Swartwout. — Parties in the Legis- 
 lature. — Triumph of tlic democracy. — Appointments and removals. — 
 Prnii'cdinjrs of tlie Legislature. — Amendment of the United States Consti- 
 tution in reference to presidential electors. 
 
STATE ELECTIOSS. 161 
 
 tioii as a candidate for Vice-President at the ensuing presiden- 
 tial election in place of Colonel Burr, who had forfeited their 
 confidence. The latter was, however, placed in nomination by 
 his friends for the office of Governor. 
 
 10. At the February term of the Supreme Court, Chief-Jus- 
 tice Lewis presiding, Hari-y Croswell, editor of a leading Federal 
 paper pubhshed at Hudson, was indicted and convicted, under 
 the provisions of the English common law, for a libel against 
 the President, notwithstanding the offer on his part to prove 
 the ti-uth of the allegations. His counsel. General Hamilton, 
 made an eloquent defence in his behalf; and in the succeeding 
 year the law in this respect was changed, and the truth of any 
 alleged libel was thenceforth permitted to be given in evidence. 
 This was the last and most brilliant forensie effort of Hamilton. 
 
 1 1. Morgan Lewis and John Broome were respectively elected 
 Governor and Lieutenant-Governor by a large majority at the 
 April elections, together with a majority of Democrats in both 
 branches of the Legislature. Mr. Tompkins was elected to Con- 
 gi-ess fi-om the city and county of New York. The defeat of 
 Burr rendered him desperate, and in his mortification and cha- 
 grin, in view of the disappointment of all his political pros- 
 pects, he seems to have availed himself of every opportunity of 
 revenging himself against those whose influence he had reason 
 to suspect had contributed to the result. 
 
 12. Of these individuals he had chosen to regard Hamilton 
 as the most prominent. His opposition had been felt in the 
 contest for the presidency against Jefferson ; and in his recent 
 struggle for political ascendency, Burr had reason to suspect his 
 active hostility. Burning for revenge, he had determined to call 
 his great and powerful adversary to a stem and severe account ; 
 and for this purpose had watched for an opportunity when he 
 could safely accomplish his nefarious purpose. 
 
 1 3. During the February term of the Supreme Court at Albany, 
 some expressions of political hostility towards Burr had fallen 
 from Hamilton, in a social conversation with one of his friends, 
 with whom he was dining. The report of this coming to the ear 
 
 T^lection of Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. — Trial of Croswell for 
 lihtl. — Election of Governor Lewis and Lieutenant-Governor Broome. — 
 Democratic triumph. — Hostility between Burr and Hamilton. 
 11 
 
102 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 of Burr in a distorted form, was construed by him as involving 
 a personal charge, and a prompt acknowledgment or denial of 
 the offensive terms demanded on the 18th of June. On the 
 20th Hamilton declined complying with this demand on account 
 of the vagueness and indefiniteness of the charge, at the same 
 time expressing his willingness to do so whenever it should be 
 made more explicit, or to abide the consequences of his present 
 refusal. In a subsequent note, through his friend, Mr. Pendleton, 
 in reply to an offensive answer from Burr, Hamilton repeated 
 in distinct terms his willingness, in response to any specific 
 inquiry, to disclaim having at any time cast an imputation upon 
 the private character or personal conduct of the former. 
 
 14. Bun', notwithstanding this candid and explicit disclaimer, 
 persisted in regarding it as a mere evasion, and demanded im- 
 mediate satisfaction. A hostile meeting was arranged on the 
 27th, which took place at Weehawken, on the Jersey shore, on 
 the morning of the 1 1th of July. Hamilton was mortally 
 wounded on the first exchange of shots, discharging his pistol in 
 the air. He v,-as conveyed from the field to the house of a friend 
 on the opposite shore, where he expired on the afternoon of the 
 next day. On the 14th his remains were conveyed to Trinity 
 Church, when, after an eloquent discourse pronounced by his 
 friend Gouverneur Morris, they were deposited, with military 
 honors, in the adjoining churchyard. 
 
 15. The death of Hamilton, and the unfortunate circum- 
 stances which led to the melancholy catastrophe, cast a deep 
 shade of gloom over the whole community. His military ser- 
 vices, splendid talents, the high positions occupied by him in 
 the civil departments of government, and his unexceptionable 
 character in all the relations of life, had secured for him the 
 warm affections and regard of his fellow-citizens generally ; and 
 his premature death bj' violence, in the maturity of his powers 
 and the fulness of his fame, was universally lamented. 
 
 16. By the election of Governor Lewis a vacancy had occurred 
 in the office of Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court, which was 
 soon afterwards filled by the appointment of James Kent and 
 the promotion of Daniel D. Tompkins to the position of Asso- 
 
 Corresponrtcnce. duel, and death of Hamilton. — Funeral obsequies. — 
 Character of Hamilton. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 163 
 
 ciate Justice. The Legislature assembled in November for the 
 choice of presidential electors, and after the transaction of the 
 special business for which they -were convened, and the election 
 of Dr. Samuel L. JIitchell as United States Senator in place 
 of General Armstrong, appointed Minister to France, an adjourn- 
 ment to the ensuing January took place. At the meeting of the 
 several electoral colleges in December, Mr. Jefferson was re- 
 elected President, and George Clintox, of New York, chosen 
 Vice-President by a majority of one hundred and sixty electoral 
 votes. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Administration of Goternor Lewis. — Common-School Fcnd. — 
 Free-School Society of New York. — Election of Governor 
 Tompkins. — Bcrk's Conspiracy. — Steam Navigation. — Erie 
 Canal. 
 
 1. The State Legislature reassembled on the 22d of 
 
 . 1 805 
 
 Januaiy, and a special message was received from Gover- 
 nor Lewis strongly urging the importance of encouraging popu- 
 lar education by the elevation and improvement of the common 
 schools of the State, and recommending the exclusive appropri- 
 ation of the avails of the public lands, now consisting of a million 
 and a half acres, to this end. 
 
 2. In accordance with this recommendation an act was intro- 
 duced and passed, appropriating the net proceeds of five hun- 
 dred thousand acres of the public lands to the support of com- 
 mon schools, the interest, when amounting to fifty thousand 
 dollars, to be annually apportioned to these institutions for the 
 payment of teachers' wages. The foundations of a permanent 
 fethool fund were thus judiciously provided. The Free-School 
 Society of the city of New York for the education of destitute 
 children was also incorporated, with Db Witt Clinton as its 
 
 Choice of presidential electors. — Appointment of United States Senator. 
 
 — Tic-election of President Jefferson, and election of Vice-President Clinton. 
 
 — Meetins of the Legislature. — Special messa;.'e of the Governor rel.ative to 
 common-school education. — Common-school fund. — Free-School Society 
 of New York. 
 
164 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 President, chiefly through his exertions and those of the Society 
 of Friends ; and the first school was opened on Tryon Row in 
 December, 1809. 
 
 3. At this time William W. Van Ness, of Columbia, in the 
 Senate, and Obadiah German, of Chenango, in the House, -were 
 the recognized leaders of the Federal and Democratic parties 
 respectively. The preponderance of public sentiment through- 
 out the State \vas strongly in favor of the Democrats, and the 
 result of the spring elections of this year onlj' served to confirm 
 this result. Manifest indications, however, had recently ap- 
 peared, of irreconcilable dissensions among the majoritj', which 
 threatened for a period seriousl}'^ to disturb their harmony, if 
 not to interrupt their predominance. Mr. Clinton and his 
 friends, in connection with the late political adherents of Colonel 
 Burr, ranged themselves in opposition to the administration of 
 Governor Lewis, and a deadly political feud seemed imminent. 
 
 4. At the succeeding session of the Legislature in 1806, 
 the sentence of death against Stephen Arnold, a teacher 
 
 of Otsego County, for causing the death of a child by whipping 
 for a venial offence, was, on the recommendation of the Gover- 
 nor, commuted to imprisonment for life, — a proceeding which 
 created gi-eat popular indignation throughout the State. A 
 recommendation was also submitted for the improvement of the 
 disciphne of the militia ; the Governor, in his capacity of com- 
 mander-in-chief, having, during the preceding autumn, made an 
 official tour of inspection and review. Preparations for an appre- 
 hended war with Great Britain were also strongly urged. During 
 this session, Archibald MclNTYREof Montgomery was appointed 
 Comptroller. The Federalists, as a body, transferred their sup- 
 port to Governor Lewis in the approaching contest between his 
 friends and those of Mr. Clinton ; and, aided by this coalition, a 
 majority of the members of the Legislature in favor of the ad- 
 ministration were returned at the ensuing spring elections. 
 
 5. In April of the ensuing year, the regular Republican 
 ticket, headed by Daniel D. Tompkins as Governor and 
 
 State of parties. — Political foud between the friends of Mr. Clinton and 
 Governor Lewis. — Proceedings of tlie Le[:islat»re. — Stephen Arnold. — 
 A]i)iointinent of CoinptroUer. — Coalition of Federalists and Kcpublicans. 
 — Re,-ults of the election. 
 
AAnoy BURR. 165 
 
 John Broome as Lieutenant-Governor, was successful by a 
 majority of about four thousand votes, carrying with it a 
 mnjority of both branches of the Legislature. William W. 
 Van Ness was promoted to the bench of the Supreme Court, 
 by the Council chosen during Governor Lewis's administra- 
 tion, in place of Brockholst Livingston, appointed an Associate 
 Justice of the United States Supreme Court. 
 
 6. Colonel Burr was, in May, placed on his trial for treason, 
 before Chief-Justice Marshall of the United States Supreme 
 Coiu't at Richmond, Virginia, charged with an attempt to pro- 
 cure a severance of the States west of the AUeghany Mountains, 
 and with them, in conjunction with Mexico, to establish an inde- 
 pendent government. He had been driven from New York by 
 the public indignation created by the death of Hamilton, and 
 since that occurrence had traversed the Southern and Western 
 States and territories, engaging in treasonable intrigues with the 
 disaffected, and other susjDicious undertakings which had excited 
 the vigilance of the government and produced his arrest as a 
 criminal. No sufficient proof, however, of his complicity having 
 been presented, he was acquitted and discharged. 
 
 7. On the 7th of August the first Steamboat, the Clermont, 
 was completed by Egbert Fdlton, of New York, and launched 
 from Jersey City, on its trial trip up the Hudson for Albany, 
 where it arrived on the next day, after a successful voyage of 
 thirty-two hours. Chancellor Robert R. Livingston had, in 
 1798, obtained from the Legislature the exclusive right of steam 
 navigation in the waters of the State for twenty years, on con- 
 dition of building a boat, within one j'car, of an average speed of 
 four miles per hour. Failing in the accomplishment of this ob- 
 ject, and having made the acquaintance of Fulton in France, he 
 obtained a renewal of the grant in 1803, when the former joined 
 him in New York, and in four years thereafter their joint efforts 
 were crowned with a brilliant success. 
 
 8. In November of the preceding year the British Government, 
 now engaged in a war with the French Empire under Napoleon 
 
 Election of Daniel T). Tompkins as Governor, and Licutenant-Govcraor 
 Broonn;. — Trial and acquittal of Hurr at Richmond for treason. — Launch 
 and successful trip of the iirst steamboat on the Hudson by Fulton. — Ilis- 
 toi-y of the enterprise. 
 
IGG SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 Bonaparte, had issued a series of " Orders in Council " prohibit- 
 ing all trade with France or her allies by the vessels of neutral 
 nations. In retaliation, the Emperor proclaimed the celebrated 
 ililan decree, forbidding all trade with England and her colonies, 
 thereby effectually cutting off all American commerce, in neutral 
 ships, with either of the belligerents. On the 23d of Septem- 
 ber^ 1807, Congress laid an embargo on all vessels in the harbors 
 of the United States, the results of which were exceedingly dis- 
 astrous to the entire mercantile interest of the oountrj'. 
 
 9. The Federalists, as a body, together with that section of 
 the Democrats heretofore acting in concert with Mr. Clinton, 
 ranged themselves in determined ojiposition to this measure of 
 the government ; while Mr. Clinton himself, and the great ma- 
 jority of the Democratic party, were its advocates. The lead- 
 ers of the former contended that the British Orders in Council 
 were rendered necessary by the supplies constantly furnished to 
 the French by American vessels, and which were not needed by 
 the English ; while the latter justified the MUan and Berlin de- 
 crees as a necessary measure of retaliation on the part of the 
 French, and the embargo as the sole means of procuring a repeal 
 of both ordinances. 
 
 10. The practicability of the construction of a canal from 
 Lake Erie to the Hudson River had, to a greater or less extent, 
 occupied the attention of reflecting and scientific minds since 
 the failure of the efforts towards the close of the preceding cen- 
 tury to improve the navigation of the Mohawk, and connect its 
 waters, by means of small canals and lockage, with Lake Ontario. 
 GouvERXEUR Morris, Jesse Hawley, and James Geddes had 
 recentlj' directed public attention to this subject through the 
 press and other channels, and the time seemed auspicious for 
 its more mature consideration. 
 
 11. During the session of the Legislature of the suc- 
 ceeding year, Mr. Joshua Forman, of Onondaga, proposed 
 in the Assembly a concurrent resolution, which was subsequently 
 adopted by the Senate on motion of Mr. Gould, directing the 
 Surveyor-General to cause a survey to be made " of the most 
 
 British Orders in Council. — Berlin and Milan decrees. — State of par- 
 ties. — Proposed canal from Lake Erie to the Hudson. — Survey of the 
 route. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 167 
 
 eligible and direct route of a canal to open a communication 
 between the tide-waters of the Hudson River and Lake Erie." 
 The sum of six hundred dollars was appropriated for this pur- 
 pose, and James Geddes, of Onondaga, employed to make the 
 survey. His report in favor of the practicability of the under- 
 taking was submitted to the Surveyor-General, and communi- 
 cated by him to the Legislature at its ensuing session. 
 
 12. The strength of the Federalists in the Legislature was 
 somewhat increased by the result of the spring elections, al- 
 though the Democrats still retained a decided preponderance in 
 both branches. During the summer. Colonel Burr sailed for 
 Europe, where he remained for several years engaged in fruitless 
 efforts to secure the co-operation of the English and French Gov- 
 ernments in an expedition against Mexico. 
 
 13. On the 1st of November the Legislature reassembled for 
 the choice of presidential electors. The electors appointed were 
 uncommitted to any candidates, but, on their meeting, cast the 
 vote of the State for J.\mes Madison as President and George 
 Clixtox as Vice-President, who were subsequently elected by a 
 large majority. 
 
 14. The Legislature reassembled on the 27th of Janu- 
 ary, 1809. Resolutions were introduced in the Senate by 
 
 Mr. Clinton, and adopted, after an exciting debate, by a large 
 majority of both Houses, approving of the measures of the gen- 
 eral government and pledging the State to their support. Gen- 
 eral Obadiah German, of Chenango, was elected United States 
 Senator as the successor of Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell, whose term 
 had expired. The representative of the English Government at 
 Washington, in pursuance of an understanding with the French 
 Emperor, had consented in April to a repeal of the obnoxious 
 Orders in Council, which was to be followed by a similar abro- 
 gation of the Milan and Berlin decrees on the part of the French, 
 and of the embargo and other restrictive regulations on the part 
 of the American Government. 
 
 15. In the mean time, however, the Federalists, strengthened 
 
 Report of Mr, Geddes. — Results of the spring elections. — Departure of 
 Colonel Burr for Europe. — Election of President Madison and Vice-Presi- 
 dent Clinton. — Proceedings of the Legislature. — Negotiations for a repeal 
 of the English and French decrees. 
 
168 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 by the popular discontent induced by the pressure of the em- 
 bargo upon the mercantile and agricultural interests of the 
 countrj', had again, after an interval of ten years, obtained the 
 ascendency at the spring elections. The 10th of June, the day 
 on which the repeal of the embargo was to take effect, was cele- 
 brated by public rejoicings throughout the State ; but these 
 festivities were speedily damped by the disavowal of the treaty 
 by the English Government, and its peremptory refusal to repeal 
 the Orders in Council. These proceedings created a feeling of 
 intense indignation against the British authorities which the 
 Federalists were powerless to assuage. 
 
 IG. On the 13th of March of the ensuing year, the sub- 
 
 1810 
 
 ject of the construction of a canal from the Western 
 lakes to the Hudson Kiver was brought up iu the Senate by the 
 report of James Geddes, of Onondaga, the surveyor of the pro- 
 posed route. Through the influence of Mr. Clinton and Jonas 
 Platt, of Oneida, the project was favorably received, and a 
 Board of Commissioners, consisting of Gouverneur Morris, Ste- 
 phen- Van- Rensselaer, William North, Thomas Eddy, and 
 Petee B. Porter, appointed to make an additional exploration 
 of the entire route, and report the results to the Legislature at 
 its next session. 
 
 1 7. At the April elections. Governor Tompkins and Lieutenant- 
 Governor Broome were re-elected by a large majority, together 
 with a decided Democratic Legislature. This result was due in a 
 great measure to the effbct of public sentiment produced by the 
 refusal of Great Britain to sanction the treaty for the repeal of 
 the Orders of Council, by the growing feeling of hostility to- 
 wards that nation, the substitution of the non-intercourse sys- 
 tem by the general government for that of the embargo, and the 
 increasing popularity both of the general and State administra- 
 tions. The country was rapidly drifting into another war with 
 its ancient enemy, and the people of the State of New York es- 
 pecially were with great unanimity preparing for the impending 
 contest. 
 
 Triiim;)li of the Democrats at the sj-jrins election.s. — Refusal of the Eng- 
 lish Oovcrnmcnt. — Krie .ind Champlain Canal. — Report of surveyor. — 
 Appointment of comnii?sionc!s. — Re-election of Governor Tompkins and 
 LiciUcnant-Go\crnor Broome. — Preparations for war with England. 
 

 Lewiston Landing in 1840. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Admixistratio^ op Govern-oe Tompkiss. — CoMMOw Schools. — 
 Second War with Great Britain. — Colonel Burr. — Battle op 
 queekstown heights. 
 
 1. The right of searching American vessels for British 
 
 1811. 
 
 soldiers or sailors, claimed and exercised by England in 
 addition to her other encroachments on our national rights, had 
 at this period become so obnoxious as to demand from the 
 United States Government the most decided measures for their 
 repression. So strong was this feeling throughout the country, 
 that a very large party in New York and other States, distrust- 
 ing the energy of President Madison, presented the name of 
 De Witt Clixton as a candidate for that office at the ensuing 
 election. 
 
 2. During the session of the Legislature of this year, a bill 
 was passed for the appointment of five commissioners to report 
 
 Condition of national affairs. — Nomination of Mr. Clinton for the pres- 
 idcncv. 
 
170 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 a system for the establishment and organization of Common 
 Schools ; and under this act, Jedediah Peck, of Otsego ; John 
 Murray, Jr., of New York ; Samuel Russell, Roger Skinner, and 
 Samuel Macomb, — were appointed. 
 
 3. GocvERXEUR jMorris, in behalf of the commissioners ap- 
 pointed for the exploration and survey of the proposed canal 
 from the Hudson to Lake Erie, submitted a report, accompanied 
 by a finely e.xecuted map of the entire route ; and an act was 
 passed on the 8th of April, drawn up by Mr. Clinton, adding 
 the names of Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton to the 
 commission, and giving full authority to the Board for the con- 
 struction of this gi-eat work. 
 
 4. The commissioners were also empowered to make applica- 
 tion to Congress, to the legislatures of the several States, and to 
 individuals, for pecuniary aid in the prosecution of the enter- 
 prise ; but beyond these appeals, which were strongly urged by 
 Mr. Clinton and Mr. Morris in person, no further progress was 
 made until after the close of the pending war. 
 
 5. The general results of the spring elections were favorable 
 to the Democratic party ; in conscqiience of the death of Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor Broome, a new election was ordered to fill the 
 vacancy, which resulted in the choice of Nicholas Fish, of 
 New York, the Federal candidate, over Mr. Clinton, the can- 
 didate of the Democrats. Both branches of the Legislature 
 were, however, strongly Democratic. 
 
 G. Governor Tompkins, in his speech to the Legislature 
 ■ at the opening of the session of 1812, took occasion to pro- 
 test in strong terms against the increase of a paper currency, 
 through the growing tendency to the multiplication of banks of 
 issue. On the 14:th of February the commissioners appointed 
 for the organization of a common-school system made an 
 elaborate and able report, accompanied by a bOl for that pur- 
 pose, which was subsequently passed into a law. 
 
 7. Early in the session a bill was introduced for the charter 
 
 Appointment of commissioners for the establishment of common .schools. 
 — Bill for the construction of the canal. — Application to Consrcss and 
 State leirislatiircs. — Spring elections. — Democratic trinraphs. — Dcatli of 
 Lieutenant-Governor Broome, and election of Nicholas Fish. — Organiza- 
 tion of the common-school system. 
 
AARON BURR. 171 
 
 of the Bank of Ambeica in the city of New York, with a 
 capital of six millions of dollars, — four hundred thousand to 
 be paid over for the benefit of the common-school fund ; one 
 hundred thousand to the literature fund, for the support of 
 colleges and academies ; another hundred thousand to the State 
 treasur}-, at the expiration of twenty years, provided no other 
 bank should during that period receive a charter ; one million 
 of dollars to be loaned to the State for the construction of the 
 canals ; and another million to farmers and others throughout 
 the State, for the promotion of agriculture and manufactures. 
 
 8. This bill passed the House by a strong majority ; but dur- 
 ing its pendency in the Senate, and when its passage by that 
 body was certain, the Governor, on the 27th of March, pro- 
 rogued the Legislature untU the 21st of May ensuing, on the 
 allegation that sufficient proof existed of corrupt practices on 
 the part of the friends of the measure for the procurement 
 of the charter. 
 
 9. On the 20th of April the venerable George Clinton, 
 Vice-President of the United States, died at Washington, in the 
 seventy -fourth year of his age, after a long career of official 
 honors and patriotic services. On the 21st of May the Legis- 
 lature reassembled, when the pending bill for the charter of 
 the Bank of America was immediately taken up and passed by 
 both Houses. On the 28th, De Witt Clinton was formally 
 nominated by the Democratic members of the Legislature as a 
 candidate for the presidency, in opposition to Mr. Madison. 
 
 10. On the 8th of June, after an absence of four years in 
 Europe, Colonel Burr returned to the city of New York, broken 
 in spirit, disappointed in all his expectations of foreign aid in 
 his ambitious aspirations for empire and power, deserted by his 
 former friends, destitute in his circ\imstances, and heavily en- 
 cumbered by debts. The death of his only and accomplished 
 daughter, Theodosia Burr Alston, who went down, with every 
 other passenger on board, during the voyage in a schooner from 
 her residence in Charleston to New York a few days after her 
 
 Charter of the Bank of America. — Prorofration of the Legislature. — 
 Death of Georfre Clinton. — Reassembling of the Lefrislature. — PassaRe of 
 the charter of the Bank of America. — Return of Colonel Burr. — Death 
 of Theodosia Burr Alston. 
 
1 72 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 father's arrival, added a still deeper shade of melancholy to his 
 decliuiug years and blasted prospects. He resumed the practice 
 of his profession, and, struggling under the heavy burden of the 
 calamities which weighed down his energies, spent the remain- 
 ing twenty years of his life in comparative obscurity. He died 
 in New York on the llth of December, 1836, in the eighty-first 
 year of his age. 
 
 11. Colonel Burr was a man of marked ability and brilliant 
 talents. Destitute of all high principles, either of religion or 
 morality, his master passion was personal and political ambition. 
 To that insatiable spirit he sacrificed reputation, friendship, hon- 
 or, patriotism, and happiness. The terrible retribution which 
 speedily overtook him followed him in his gloomy retirement, and 
 left him only at the portals of the grave. His career furnishes 
 another sad example of the miserable results of unchastened 
 ambition combined with the absence of moral integrity. 
 
 12. On the 20th of June, war was declared by Congress 
 against Great Britain, the Democratic members and senators 
 from New York generally voting against it, not because sufficient 
 reason in their judgment did not exist for the measure, but be- 
 cause the country was, as they believed, unprepared for the com- 
 mencement of hostilities. The Federalists, as a bod}', were op- 
 posed to the war, not only for this reason, but because they 
 conceived no adequate provocation had been given by England 
 which did not equally exist against France. The great mass of 
 Democrats in both branches of Congress (with the exception of 
 the Xew York delegation) sustained the declaration. Congress 
 immediately passed a bill for the enlistment of twenty-five 
 thousand regular troops and fifty thousand volunteers, and or- 
 ganized the West Point Military Academy for the instruction of 
 cadets for the army. 
 
 13. At the September term of the Circuit Court, held in 
 Clienango County, General David Thomas, State Treasurer, was 
 indicted and tried before Judge William W. Van Ness for at- 
 tempting to bribe Casper M. Rouse, a Senator from that county, 
 during the pendencj' of the bill for the charter of the Bank of 
 
 Subsequem career ami death of Bnvr. — Declaration of war aj^ainst Great 
 Britain. — State of parties. — Organization of the West Point Military 
 Academv. 
 
SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 173 
 
 America. No sufficient proof of the charge having been pro- 
 duced, General Thomas was acquitted. Solomon South wick, 
 then editor of the Albany Register, was also tried and acquit- 
 ted during the same month before Chief-Justice Kent at the 
 Montgomery circuit, for an attempted bribery of Alexander 
 Sheldon, Speaker of the Assembly. Thomas Addis Emmett, of 
 New York, recentlj' appointed Attorney-General in place of 
 ilatthias B. Hildreth, deceased, conducted these prosecutions on 
 the part of the State. 
 
 14. In the mean time, General Hull, who had been appointed 
 to the command of the forces in the territory of Michigan, with 
 orders to invade Canada, had in August yielded to a slightly su- 
 perior force of British and Indians, commanded bj' General Sir 
 Isaac Brock and the Indian chief Tecumseh, and surrendered at 
 Detroit his army of eight hundred men, thirty-three pieces of 
 artillery, and a vast quantity of naval and military stores to 
 the enemy. For this act he was, two years later, tried by court- 
 martial, convicted of cowardice, and sentenced to be shot, but 
 in consideration of his Revolutionarj' services received a pardon 
 from the President. 
 
 1.5. The naval engagements of this year were notable. Cap- 
 tain Isaac Hull, of the frigate Constitution, a vessel better known 
 as Old Ironsides, had, on the 19th of August, captured, after a 
 brilliant engagement, the British frigate Guen-icrc, commanded 
 by Captain Dacres, off the mouth of the St. Lawrence ; Captain 
 Decatur, of the United States, had, off the Azores, in October, 
 compelled the British frigate Macedonian to strike her flag ; and 
 Captain Joucs, of the Wasp, after captm-ing the British brig 
 Frolic, was himself, with his prize, forced to yield to the Poictiors, 
 a seventy-four gun frigate. Soon afterwards Captain Bainbridge, 
 who had succeeded to the command of the Constitution, took 
 and burned the British frigate Java off the coast of Brazil. 
 
 16. Captain Chauxcey, of the New York Navj'-yard, had 
 been assigned to the command of Lakes Ontario and Erie ; and, 
 with a small sloop-of-war of sixteen guns, and a fleet of mer- 
 chant-vessels fitted out with guns and other naval equipments, 
 
 Trial and acquittal of David Thomas and Solomon Soutlnvick for liribcrv- 
 — Surrender of Detroit liy Hull. — Naval successes on the ocean. — Fleets 
 on Lakes Erie and Ontario. 
 
174 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 and brought from Albany at an immense expense of labor, soon 
 succeeded in clearing Lake Ontario of British ships and driving 
 them into Kingston Harbor on the Canada shores. Lieutenant 
 Elliott, having equipped a fleet on Lake Erie, by a bold and dar- 
 ing movement, under the guns of the British fort on the oppo- 
 site shore, captured two British armed vessels which had come 
 down the lake from Detroit. 
 
 17. On the 19th of July an unsuccessful attack was made 
 upon Sackett's Harbor, on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, 
 by a squadron of five British vessels from the Canada shore. 
 The Harbor was defended by the United States brig Oneida, of 
 sixteen guns, commanded by Lieutenant M. T. Woolsey, having 
 in charge a British schooner which had been seized for a violation 
 of the revenue laws, and by a military force of about three 
 thousand regulars and volunteers. Lieutenant Woolsey, failing 
 in his attempt to engage the British commodore, took command 
 of a battery on the shore, whence, after two hours' firing, he 
 crippled and dispersed the hostile fleet, without the loss of a 
 man on the American side. An attack upon Ogdensburg, on 
 the 4th of October, by a British fleet of twenty-five boats, with 
 seven hundred and fifty men, was also gallantly repulsed by 
 General Jacob Brown after a severe and protracted contest. 
 
 18. Early in September a large body of militia had been 
 concentrated in the vicinity of Lewiston, on the Niagara River, 
 under the command of Major-General Stephen Van Rensselaer. 
 An attack upon the village and heights of Queenstown, on the 
 western bank of the Niagara, a few miles below the Falls, was soon 
 afterwards planned, and the requisite arrangements made for 
 transportation of the troops, on the morning of the 11th of 
 October, to the opposite shore. Through some deficiencj' or 
 treachery on the part of Lieutenant Sims, the officer employed 
 for this service, the boats failed to reach their destination, and 
 the expedition was postponed. 
 
 19. On the morning of the 13th, however, ten boats, under 
 the direction of Lieutenant-Colonels Chr}'stie and Solomon Van 
 Rensselaer, with about two hundred and twenty-five men, crossed 
 over to Queenstown, and, having landed the troops, immediately 
 
 Attack on Sackett's Harbor and Ogdensburg. — Concentration of troops 
 at Lewiston. 
 
BATTLE OF QUEEXSTOWN. 175 
 
 returned for additional reinforcements. In the absence of 
 Colonels Chrrstie and Yan Eensselaer, who remained on the op- 
 posite shore to superintend the embarkation of the residue of 
 the troops, the command of the small force at Queenstown de- 
 volved on Captain John E. Wool, the senior officer present. 
 
 20. The landing of this force was resisted with great spirit 
 and energy by Captain Dennis, the British commandant of the 
 post, who had become aware of the movement ; and Lieuten- 
 ant Eathbone was mortally wounded, and other severe injuries 
 sustained by the detachment, before their purpose could be ac- 
 complished, and a line formed on the plateau near the foot of 
 the heights above the village, by the companies of Captains 
 Wool, Malcolm, and Armstrong. 
 
 21. Orders from head-quarters were immediately transmitted 
 to Captain AVool to storm the heights, but before the ascent was 
 commenced these orders were countermanded, and a vigorous 
 attack was made on the right flank and front of Wool's line by 
 Captain Dennis, who had been strongly reinforced by two ad- 
 ditional companies of regular troops, stationed on the heights. 
 After a short but severe engagement, in which two officers were 
 killed, and Captains Wool, Malcolm, and Armstrong wounded, 
 the enemy's force on the plains was repulsed. Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Solomon Van Rensselaer was so severely wounded as to be unable 
 longer to remain in command of the expedition. 
 
 22. The attack from the heights on the left flank of the de- 
 tachment was still continued, until orders were received for its 
 retreat to the beach, out of range of the enemy's fire. Still 
 suffering from annoyance in this quarter, Captain Wool obtained 
 permission to attempt the capture of the heights ; and, rein- 
 foi'ced by a fresh company under command of Captain Ogilvie, 
 though suffering from his wounds, at once commenced the ascent, 
 and by an unfrequented path accomplished his daring object 
 without the loss of a single man. 
 
 23. With the rising of the sun the American flag was planted 
 on the British works. General Sir Isaac Brock, who had now 
 an-ived on the ground, rallied the retreating forces of the Eng- 
 lish, and, having repulsed a portion of Captain Wool's command 
 
 Attack upon Queenstown. — Battle of Queenstown Heights. 
 
176 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 sent to occupy the heights above the batter}-, concentrated his 
 forces against the remainder, who were driven back, in consider- 
 able confusion, upon the precipitous bank of the river. 
 
 24. In this critical position. Captain Ogilvie was seen to 
 raise a white handkerchief on a bayonet, as a token of sub- 
 mission. Captain Wool with his own hands indignantly tore 
 down the craven emblem, reanimated his troops by a spirited 
 appeal to their bravery and courage, and renewed the doubtful 
 and desperate contest with the superior force arrayed against 
 him, led by the ablest general in the British service. Having 
 exhausted their ammunition, a bayonet charge was made, and 
 the enemy forced to reti'eat. 
 
 25. While engaged in an effort to rally his flying troops. Gen- 
 eral Brock received a mortal wound, and Captain Wool and his 
 gallant band again took possession of the heights of Queenstown. 
 General Wadsworth and Lieutenant-Colonel Winpield Scott 
 soon afterwards joined the detachment, now consisting of about 
 si.x hundred regulars and militia, the command having been 
 assigned to tlie latter. A brisk onslaught was immediately 
 made upon the force by a band of Mohawk Indians, armed with 
 tomahawks and knives, led by John Brant and Captain Jacobs, 
 who, after a severe contest, were repulsed and driven from the 
 heights, under the lead of Colonel Scott. 
 
 26. Meantime a strong reinforcement from Fort George, 
 under the command of General SheafFe, was seen approaching 
 the heights ; and General Van Rensselaer, who was on the field, 
 immediately returned to Lewiston, to expedite the passage of 
 the remaining militia reserves. In spite of all his efforts, not 
 one of their number could be induced to cross the river in sup- 
 port of their exhausted comrades. The failure of several boats 
 which had previously been sent over, and the capture or loss of 
 their passengers, had effectually discouraged any subsequent at- 
 tempt. 
 
 27. Intelligence of this disaster was conveyed to Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Scott, who, nevertheless determined, single-handed and 
 worn down by the fatigues of the day, to encounter the over- 
 powering force brought to boar against him. At four in the 
 afternoon the action again commenced ; and so severe and well 
 supported was the onslaught, and so superior were the numbers 
 
SECOSD WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 177 
 
 of the enemy, that the Americans were forced to retreat and 
 finally to siin'ender. About a thousand prisoners were taken, 
 less than one third of whom had participated in the action, the 
 residue having cither deserted or concealed themselves among 
 the surrounding rocks and bushes. The British force num- 
 bered thirteen hundred and fifty. The Americans lost ninety 
 men killed, and one hundred wounded ; the British about one 
 hundred and fifty of both, exclusive of Indians. 
 
 28. Thus terminated the well-fought field of Queenstown 
 Heights, — deeds of heroism and valor having been displayed 
 by officers and men never before exposed to fire, which would 
 compare favorably with those of veterans inured to the service. 
 The field in which Lieutenant-General Wixfield Scott and 
 Major-General John E. Wool first " won their spurs " was 
 nobly illustrated by the chivalrous minute-guns, which, by direc- 
 tion of General Van Rensselaer, were fired from the American 
 batteries at the conclusion of the funeral ceremonies of the 
 British commander, General Sir Isaac Brock ! 
 
 29. On the 23d of October, a detachment of militia, chiefly 
 from the city of Troy, commanded by Major Guilford D. Young 
 of that place, occupying French Mills on the St. Regis River, 
 attacked and captured a company of Canadian " Voyageurs," 
 which, in contravention of a stipulation for neutrality, had oc- 
 cupied the Indian village of St. Regis, situated on the north- 
 eastern borders of St. Lawrence County, and were endeavoring 
 to induce the inhabitants to join the British standard. On this 
 occasion the first British flag taken in the war was captured 
 by Lieutenant William L. Marcy, afterwards honorably dis- 
 tinguished in the highest executive and legislative departments 
 of the State and Union. 
 
 30. On the 2d of Isovember the Legislatiu-e convened for the 
 choice of presidential electors. Martin Van Buren, of Colum- 
 bia, made his first appearance in a legislative capacitj', at this 
 session, as a Senator from the Middle District, and at once as- 
 sumed the leadership of the Democratic party. Electors in 
 favor of Mr. Clinton were duly chosen on joint ballot, a portion 
 
 Capture of British troops at St. Regis. — First appearance in puhlio life 
 of ilartin Van Buren. — Presidential electors in favor of Mr. Clinton 
 chosen. 
 
 12 
 
178 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 of the Federalists voting with the majority of Democrats. Mr. 
 Madison was, however, re-elected, by a majority of thirty-nine 
 electoral votes, over Mr. Clinton, and Elbridge Geery, of Mas- 
 sachusetts, Vice-President, by a majority of forty-five votes, over 
 Jared Ingersoll, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Adiiixistration of Goveknor Tompkins. — Second War with Great 
 BniTAiy. — Common Schools. — Campaign of 1813. — Naval Vic- 
 tort ON Lake Erie. — Capture of York. — Siege of Fort George. 
 — Defence of Sackett's Harbor. — Black Bock and Buffalo. 
 
 1. The State Legislature reassembled on the 12th of Janu- 
 ary, 1813. RuFus King, of New York, was elected United 
 
 181.3 
 
 States Senator in place of (General John Smith, whose 
 term had expired. Gideon Hawley, of Albany, was appointed 
 by the Council Superintendent of Common Schools, under the 
 provisions of an act passed the preceding year for their better 
 organiiation. De Witt Clinton was reappointed Mayor of 
 Kew York. On the 28th of January, Chancellor Robert R. 
 Livingston died, in the sixty-sixth year of his age. His emi- 
 nent talents, long service in public life, and timely benefactions 
 to his friend Robert Fulton in his great enterprise, endeared 
 his memory to his fellow-citizens of all parties. 
 
 2. The spring elections resulted in the re-election of Governor 
 Tompkins and the election of John Tayler as Lieutenant-Gov- 
 ernor, with a strong Democratic majority in the Senate, and a 
 small Federal majority in the other branch of the legislature. 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer of Albany and George Huntington of 
 Oneida were the Federal candidates for Governor and Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor. In view of the bitter opposition of the New 
 England States to the pending war with England and the ad- 
 ministration of the general government, the triumph of the 
 Democratic partj' in New York, in the re-election of Governor 
 
 Re-election of Madison, and Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, Vice-Pres- 
 ident. — Election of United States Senator. — Superintendent of Common 
 Schools. — State officers. — Death of Ch.incellor Livingston. — Re-eleetion 
 of Governor Tompkins. — Election of Lientenant-Govemor Tayler. — De- 
 mocratic triumph. 
 
XAVAL CONFLICTS. 179 
 
 Tompkins, was hailed with the highest gratification by its mem- 
 bers throughout the Union. 
 
 3. ileantinie General John Armstrong, of New York, had been 
 appointed Secretary of War by the President. The surrender 
 of Detroit, the heroic episode of Queenstown Heights, and the 
 brilliant victories of our infant navy, had infused a new spirit into 
 the West, and volunteers from every quarter flocked to the patri- 
 otic standard. The anny of the West, stationed at the head of 
 Lake Erie, was placed under the command of General William 
 Hexry Harrison, of Ohio ; that of the centre, between Lakes 
 Erie and Ontario, under General Henry Dearborn, of Massa- 
 chusetts ; and that of the North, in the vicinity of Lake Cham- 
 plain, under General Wade Hampton, of Virginia. Frenchtown, 
 on the Raisin, had been occupied by Winchester, under the direc- 
 tions of General Harrison, and retaken by Proctor, the British 
 commander, under circumstances of barbarous cruelty to his 
 prisoners, who were left to the tender mercies of his Indian al- 
 lies, notwithstanding the most solemn assurances of safety and 
 security, and Forts Meig-s and Stephenson gallantlj' defended 
 by General Clay and Major Croghan, a youth of twenty-one, 
 against Proctor and the Indian chief Tecumseh. 
 
 4. On the ocean, Captain James Lawrence, in command of 
 the Hornet, had, in February, captured the British frigate Pea- 
 cock off the South American coast, and in the ensuing June, 
 having been transferred to the command of the frigate Chesa- 
 peake in Boston harbor, had, with his accustomed impetuosity, 
 engaged the British frigate Shannon, Captain Broke. At the 
 commencement of the action he was mortally wounded, his ship 
 boarded, and after a severe hand-to-hand conflict her flag was 
 struck, notwithstanding the dying command of her brave com- 
 mander, " Don't give up the ship ! " 
 
 5. On the 7th of February, Major Benjamin Forsyth, of the 
 United States Rifles, stationed at Ogdensburg with a party of 
 two hundred men, organized a successful expedition for the 
 rescue of several prisoners arrested in St. Lawrence County by 
 the British authorities as deserters, and confined in the jail at 
 Elizabethtown, in Upper Canada. For this exploit he received 
 
 Pro<rre=« of the war. — Campaipn of 1 81 -S. — Naval victories and defeats. — 
 Death of Captain Lawrence. — Expedition to Elizabethtown, Upper Canada. 
 
180 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 a bi'evet commission from the American Government as Lieuten- 
 ant-Colonel. 
 
 6. A retaliatory expedition was, on the 22d, organized against 
 Ogdensburg under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel McDon- 
 nell, -sN-ith eight hundred men. Colonel Forsj'th's garrison at 
 the time consisted only of a single company of riflemen, a few 
 volunteers from Albany, and . the inhabitants of the village. 
 With two iron twelve-pounders and six iron and brass six-pound- 
 ers, trophies of the Revolutionary field of Saratoga, mounted on 
 rude wooden breastworks, and manned chiefly by the citizens, he 
 made a gallant defence, killing six and wounding forty-eight, in- 
 cluding Lieutenant-Colonel McDonnell and six officers. 
 
 7. After a severe contest, however, he was forced to surrender 
 the town, the pviblic property and military stores in which were 
 removed to Canada. Two armed schooners and two gunboats 
 were burned; fourteen hundred stands of arms and accoutre- 
 ments, twelve pieces of artillery, together with a vast quantity of 
 ammunition, tents, and camp equipage, fell into the possession of 
 the enemy, and a considerable amount of damage was inflicted 
 upon the private property of the inhabitants. 
 
 8. On the 25th of April, General Dearborn embarked a force 
 of seventeen hundred men on board Commodore Chauncey's 
 fleet at Sackett's Harbor for the capture of York, the capital of 
 Upper Canada, the chief military depot of the British a,rm.j. 
 On their landing on the 27th they were met by a galling fire 
 from the British and Indians, whom they speedily drove back to 
 their fortifications ; and General Zebulon Montgomery Pike, 
 pressing forward to the attack, was mortally wounded by the 
 blowing up of the magazine of the fort. The assailants were, 
 however, successful, and the American flag soon floated in tri- 
 umph over the fort. 
 
 9. On the 27th of May the squadron, after having returned 
 for supplies and relief to the wounded, again weighed anchor for 
 the Canadian shore, and in conjunction with Captain Oliver H. 
 Perry of the navy, Colonel Winfield Scott and Major Forsyth 
 of the Rifles, Colonel Porter and Colonel Alexander Macomb of 
 the art.illery, and Generals Boj-d, AVinder, and Chandler, pro- 
 Capture of Ogdensburg. — Capture of York. — Death of Zebulon Mont- 
 gomery Pike. 
 
SECOXD WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 181 
 
 ceeded to an attack upon Fort George, on the western shore of 
 the Niagara River. The troops, under the personal direction of 
 Captain Perry, effected a landing, and in the face of a formidable 
 force of eight hundred men well posted on the summit of a pre- 
 cipitous bank, Colonel Scott, after a desperate conflict, and after 
 having three times been compelled to fall back, succeeded in 
 carrying the position with a loss to the enemy of their brave 
 commander, Myers, eleven officers, and nearly four hundred 
 men. 
 
 10. Colonel Scott pursued the enemy as far as the village of 
 Niagara, and, having sent a detachment to cut off their retreat 
 to Burlington Heights, returned to Fort George, where a small 
 party of the British, under the command of Brigadier-General 
 Vincent, still remained. This officer, after directing the evacu- 
 ation of Fort Erie, and the abandonment of Chippewa, ordered 
 the magazine of the fort to be fired and the party left in charge 
 to rejoin the main body at the Beaver Dams. The explosion of 
 the magazine threw Colonel Scott from his horse ; but, in the 
 absence of any serious injury, he immediately took possession 
 of the fort, and, after hoisting with his own hand the American 
 flag, pressed forward in pursuit of the retreating garrison, until, 
 recalled by his commanding officer, General Boyd, he reluctantly 
 returned to the main body. The entire loss of the Americans 
 in this enterprise was seventeen killed and forty-five wounded. 
 Three hundred and sixty-six British regulars and five hundred 
 militia were captured. 
 
 11. On the 29th of May an unsuccessful attempt was made 
 by General Sir George Prevost and Commodore Sir James L. 
 Yeo for the capture of Sackett's Harbor, the principal forces for 
 the defence of which had been withdrawn for the expeditions 
 against the enemj^'s posts on the Niagara frontier. Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Backus, of the Light Dragoons, having been left in 
 command of the garrison with about eight hundred men, in con- 
 junction with Brigadier-General Jacob Brown, who resided in 
 the vicinity, so effectually resisted the attack of the British 
 troops, numbering in the aggregate about a thousand men, with 
 a strong party of Indians, that a retreat was ordered after an 
 
 Capture of Fort George. — Attempted capture of Sackett's Harbor. — Suc- 
 cessful resistance of the garrison. 
 
182 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 hour's severe conflict, with the loss of forty-eight meu kOled and 
 about two hundred wounded. The Americans had fifty men 
 killed and eighty-four wounded. 
 
 1 2. The capture of this important post would have inflicted a 
 heav}' disaster upon the American cause. Large quantities of 
 naval and military stores had been collected and deposited there ; 
 several vessels were in process of construction, and a prize ves- 
 sel, previously captured from the enemy, and two United States 
 schooners, lying in the harbor ; and the arsenal, various batteries, 
 cantonments, and other public buildings required for the service 
 of the troops, were of the most valuable nature. The bravery 
 and intrepidity of its defenders against a greatly superior force 
 deserved and rejeived the highest appreciation of the national 
 authorities. 
 
 1 3. The failure of the expeditions against Stoney Creek, and 
 the Beaver Dam Meadows, organized by Major-General Dear- 
 born, and the prevalence of a general public feeling of his inef- 
 ficiency and incompetency, about this time led to the removal of 
 that officer from tlie command of the central division, and the 
 substitution of Major-General Wilkinson, Secretary of War of 
 the United States. 
 
 14. An attack upon the village of Black Rock, on the eastern 
 bank of the Niagara River, on the 1 1th of July, by Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Bishopp, of the British army, was gallantly repulsed by 
 the American General Petee B. Porter, — Colonel Bishopp 
 having been mortally wounded, and a large number of his men 
 killed, wounded, or captured, while the Americans, though great- 
 ly outnumbered, sustained a very trifling loss. 
 
 15. On the 14th of August the brig-of-war Argus, commanded 
 by Lieutenant William H. Allen, of Rhode Island, having on 
 board the American minister to France, the Hon. William H. 
 Crawford, was captured on her return voyage, after having 
 destroyed twenty English vessels, by the British brig Pelican. 
 Lieutenant Allen was mortally wounded. On the 5th of Sep- 
 tember the British brig Boxer, Captain Blyth, was captured off 
 the coast of Maine by the Enterprise, Lieutenant William Bur- 
 rows, who was killed in the action. 
 
 Importance of the post. — Kemoval of General Dearborn. — Attack upon 
 Black Rock. — Capture of the Argus by the Pelican. — The Boxer. 
 
PEHRY'S VICTORY ON LAKE ERIE. 183 
 
 16. Ths most brilliant and important naval victory of the 
 campaign and of the -war, however, was that of Commodore 
 Oliver Hazard Perry on Lake Erie, on the morning of the 10th 
 of September, over the British squadron commanded by Com- 
 modore Barclay, consisting of six vessels mounting sixty-three 
 guns. The American fleet consisted of the flag-ship Lawrence, 
 the Niagara, — of twenty guns each, — and eight smaller vessels 
 with thirteen guns in all. 
 
 17. At sunrise, the enemy's fleet having been discovered in 
 motion, the line of battle was formed under the direction of 
 Commodore Perry, and in perfect order slowly approached the 
 opposing squadron. At noon the signal for action — the blue 
 flag of the Lawrence with the inspiriting motto " Don't give up 
 THE Ship ! " — was displayed, and the action commenced. 
 
 18. The Lawrence closed with the enemy at canister-shot 
 distance, and for half an hour, assisted by the Ariel and Scor- 
 pion, sustained a heavy and destructive fire from their long 
 guns. Commodore Perry, advancing his ship to close quarters 
 with the Detroit, the British flag-ship, and leaving behind him 
 his whole force, with the exception of the Ariel and Scorpion, 
 for two h(}urs maintained the unequal contest, until nearly every 
 gun of the Lawrence was disabled, her sails torn to pieces, her 
 bulwai-ks beaten in, and of one hundred efiicient men upwards 
 of eighty killed or wounded. 
 
 19. At this crisis. Commander Elliott, of the Niagara, per- 
 ceiving the crippled and unmanageable condition of the Law- 
 rence, and the imminent danger of her capture and the defeat 
 of the fleet, ventured, without orders, to leave the line and go 
 to her relief While passing her to the windward in the midst 
 of a heavy and raking fire from four of the enemy's vessels, 
 Commodore Perry sprang aboard his cutter, with his brother, 
 Midshipman J. Alexander Perrj', and the flag of the Lawrence, 
 and succeeded in reaching the Niagara. 
 
 20. The contest was again renewed with the utmost alacrity 
 and spirit ; the entire fleet, with the exception of the Law- 
 rence, brought into action, through the exertions of Commander 
 Elliott ; a continuous shower of broadsides poured right and left 
 
 The Enterprise. — Battle of Lake Erie. 
 
184 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 into the enemy's vessels, and in half an hour the entire fleet 
 surrendered. Keturning to the deck of the shattered Lawrence, 
 Commodore Perry received the swords of the several hostile 
 commanders, and indited and forwarded to General Harrison the 
 laconic and memorable despatch, " We have met the enemy, — 
 
 AND they are ours ! " 
 
 21. This brilliant victory was followed on the 5th of October 
 by the defeat of the British General Proctor and his entire army 
 by General Harrison at the battle of the Thames, in which Te- 
 cumseh was slain, the territory of Michigan, ingloriously sur- 
 rendered at the commencement of the war by Hull, regained, 
 and hostilities on the northwestern frontier terminated. 
 
 22. In the latter part of October an ineffectual movement was 
 made, under the direction of General Wilkinson, by General 
 Izard, for a descent upon Canada, and the captiire of Montreal 
 and Kingston. At Chateaugay, in Franklin County, near the 
 confluence of the Chateaugay and Oudarde Rivers, within a few 
 miles of the St. LawTence, a force of about four thousand men, 
 led by Generals Izard and Hampton, was repulsed by the Brit- 
 ish under Lieutenant-Colonel De Salaberry, and compelled to 
 retreat with considerable loss, and the expedition against Mon- 
 treal was temporarily abandoned. 
 
 23. Early in November, however, another expedition or- 
 ganized under the command of Generals Brown and Macomb, 
 with about seventeen hundred men, proceeded from the vicinity 
 of Lake Champlain down the St. Lawrence in a flotilla of three 
 hundred boats extending over a distance of five miles, under the 
 immediate direction of General Wilkinson in person. At Chrys- 
 tler's Farm, near the Canadian village of Williamsburg, they 
 were encountered by a heavy British force under Lieutenant- 
 Colonels Morrison and Pearson, in which Colonel E. P. Gaines, 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Aspinwall, and Lieutenant W. J. Worth dis- 
 tinguished themselves, and after a severe contest of two hours, 
 and with no material advantage on either side, a retreat to the 
 boats was ordered by General Wilkinson, and the expedition 
 again abandoned. 
 
 Battle of the Tlifimcs. — Defeat of the British army. — Death of Tecam- 
 seh. — Kecovcry of Michigan Territory. — Abortive experlitions against 
 Canada. — Action at Chateaugay. — Battle of Chrystler's Farm. 
 
SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 185 
 
 2-t. The transfer of the principal part of the American forces 
 from the Niagara frontier to the vicinity of Sackett's Harbor 
 and Lake Champlain, and the arrival of heavy reinforcements of 
 the enemy under Lieutenant-General Drummond to the former 
 position, compelled General McClure to abandon Fort George. 
 Accordingly, after having deposited his military stores in Fort 
 Niagara, and burned the village of Newark, he opened a fire 
 upon Queenstown and inflicted great and unnecessary distress 
 upon the defenceless and unoffending citizens of those villages. 
 
 25. On the 18th of December a fearful series of retaliatory 
 barbarities was commenced by a detachment of the Koyal Ar- 
 tillery under Colonel Murray, numbering about five hundred 
 and fifty men. On the morning of the 19th, Fort Niagara was 
 entered, and the entire garrison, with a few exceptions, includ- 
 ing a large number of hospital patients, bayoneted without 
 mercy, in revenge for the burning of Newark and Queens- 
 town. 
 
 26. Another party, led by General Eial and Lieutenant-Colo- 
 nel Gordon, consisting of detachments from the Royal Scots and 
 a body of five hundred Indians, crossed over from Queenstown 
 to Lewiston, which was burned and plundered, and the inhab- 
 itants subjected to the most atrocious cruelties. Similar vindic- 
 tive retaliation was extended to the villages of Youngstown, 
 Manchester, Fort Schlosser, and the Indian settlement at Tus- 
 carora, and for several miles the entire frontier was desolated 
 and ravaged. 
 
 27. On the 26th, General Hall, of the New York militia, took 
 command of a large body of undisciplined troops at Buffalo, and 
 Lieutenant-General Drummoud, after having reconnoitred these 
 forces, despatched General Rial on the 29th with a large body 
 of regulars, Canadians, and Indians to the vicinity of the vil- 
 lage of Black Rock, near Buffalo. On the next day a sanguin- 
 ai-j' engagement occurred between the two armies, resulting in 
 the retreat of the Americans, and the abandonment of both the 
 villages of Buffalo and Black Rock to the same fate which had 
 swept over the neighboring settlements. 
 
 Evacuation of Fort George. — Burning of Newark and Queenstown. — 
 Ectaliatory descent upon Fort Niagara, Lewiston, Youngstown, and other 
 villages. — Capture and destruction of Buffalo and Black Kock. 
 
186 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 28. This savage and merciless warfare, originally provoked 
 by the unjustifiable and wanton aggression of General McClure, 
 reflected the deepest disgrace upon both nations, and elicited 
 from all quarters, both in England and America, the strong- 
 est feeling of indignation and mutual recrimination. Its un- 
 avoidable tendency was fearfully to imbitter the sanguinary 
 contest in which the two countries were engaged, and to defer 
 the period of reconciliation. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Administration of Goveknor Tompkins. — Second War with Great 
 Britain. — Battles or Chippewa and Lundy's Lane. 
 
 1. The Legislature convened on the 25th of January, 1814. 
 
 Governor Tompkins, in his address to the Legislature, 
 recommended the assumption by the State of its quota of 
 the direct tax imposed by Congress for the support of the war. 
 This proposition was favorably entertained by the Senate, but 
 rejected by the Assembly by a strict party vote. General Root, 
 Nathan Sandford, and Mr. Van Buren were the Democratic 
 leaders in the Senate ; and the Federalists in the Assembly were 
 marshalled by David B. Ogden, Samuel Jones, Jr., and Charles 
 King of New York, and Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer of Dutch- 
 ess. Chief-Justice Kent was appointed Chancellor in place of 
 Mr. Lansing ; Smith Thompson succeeded him as Chief-Justice of 
 the Supreme Court ; and Jonas Piatt, of Oneida, was appointed 
 Associate Justice in his place. 
 
 2. Liberal appropriations of money, to be raised by State lot- 
 teries, were made, during the session, to Union, Columbia, and 
 Hamilton Colleges, and to various medical colleges. The com- 
 mon-school law of 1812 was remodelled, in accordance with 
 the views of the superintendent, Mr. Hawley. The April elec- 
 tions terminated in the complete success of the Republican 
 
 Proreedings of the Legislature. — Appointments and removals. — Appro- 
 priations to colleges. — Common-school law. — April elections. — Triumph 
 of the Eepublicans. 
 
OSWEGO AXD SACKETT'S HARBOR. 187 
 
 party in both branches of the Legislature, and the congressional 
 representation. 
 
 3. In February, General Wilkinson moved from French Mills 
 to Plattsburg, and General Brown, with two thousand men, oc- 
 cupied Sacliett's Harbor. In the ensuing March, Wilkinson, in 
 an attack upon the British near Rouse's Point, was repulsed, 
 and replaced by General Izard. On the 5th of May a British 
 squadron, with three thousand men, under the command of 
 Lieutenant-General Drummond, appeared before Oswego, with 
 the view of capturing the naval and military stores deposited at 
 Oswego Falls, but met with so spirited a resistance from Colonel 
 Mitchell, and a small flotilla under Captain Woolsey, that they 
 withdrew with a heavy loss. 
 
 4. These stores, thus preserved from destruction, were trans- 
 ferred, under the direction of Captain Woolsey, aided by a corps 
 of riflemen commanded by Major Appling, to Sackett's Harbor. 
 On reaching Sandy Creek, within eight miles of their destina- 
 tion, through the treachery of the crew of one of the boats sent 
 as a convoy, the British admiral, Sir James Yeo, was apprised 
 of their destination, and immediately despatched a force to in- 
 tercept them. Major Appling, on being apprised of this move- 
 ment, placed his riflemen, artillerj', dragoons, and a body of 
 Indians in ambush ; and on the approach of the unsuspecting 
 detachment gave them so sudden and unwelcome a reception 
 that they were driven back in confusion, and the convoy pro- 
 ceeded to its destination. 
 
 5. Major-General Jacob Brown, with Brigadier-Generals Scott 
 and Ripley, were at this period in command on the Niagara 
 frontier ; and instructions from the War Department having been 
 received for the capture of Fort Erie, Chippewa, Fort George, 
 and Burlington Heights, on the Canada shore, active prepara- 
 tions were immediately made for the accomplishment of these 
 results. On the morning of the 3d of July, General Scott, with 
 four regiments, crossed the Niagara River, landing below Fort 
 Erie, and was followed by General Riple}', with four additional 
 
 Jlovemcnts of General Wilkinson and General Brown. — Unsuccessful 
 attack u])on Rouse's Point. — Removal of Wilkinson and appointment of 
 General Izard. — Repulse of the British at Oswego — Transportation of 
 military stores to Sackett's Harbor. — Action at Sandy Creek. 
 
188 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 regiments, occupying a position above the fort, which, with its 
 garrison, vas immediately sun-endered to them. 
 
 6. The next morning. General Scott, with his brigade and a 
 corps of artillei-y under Captain Towson, driving before him the 
 British advance under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Pear- 
 son, took position behind Street's Creek, a small stream enter- 
 ing the Niagara River about a mile and a half above Chippewa. 
 On the same evening. General Ripley's brigade, the field and 
 battery train, and Major Hindman's artillery corps, encamped 
 in the rear of General Scott's position ; and on the morning of 
 the 5th, General Peter B. Porter, with a part of the New York 
 and Pennsylvania volunteers and a small party of Indians, oc- 
 cupied a position in rear of General Ripley. 
 
 7. General Rial, with a force of about twenty-five hundred 
 men, consisting of the flower of the British army, was posted 
 behind a heavy line of intrcnchments below the Chippewa 
 Creek, at the distance of about a mile and a half north of the 
 American encampment, and separated from it by a large plain 
 of about a mile in width, lying between the two creeks, bounded 
 on the east by the Niagara River, and on the west by a heavy 
 wood, with occasional openings of low ground. 
 
 8. Towards the middle of the day this wood was found to be 
 occupied by strong bodies of the enemy's light troops and In- 
 dians ; and General Porter was despatched with his brigade for 
 their dispersion, which was soon accomplished with considerable 
 slaughter. On emerging from the wood, the enemy were dis- 
 covered drawn up in battle array on the plain ; and the detach- 
 ment, panic-stricken, dispersed in all directions, notwithstanding 
 the efforts of their gallant commander to rally thefn. 
 
 9. General Scott, in the mean time, ignorant of these move- 
 ments of the enemy, had conducted his brigade across the creek 
 into the plain, for martial exercise, at the same moment that 
 the British line were entering it from the north. Displaying his 
 force near its southern extremity. General Rial was confronted 
 by the brigade of General Scott drawn up in line with military 
 precision, and fully prepared, at all points, for the approaching 
 combat. 
 
 Capture of Fort Erie. — Battle of Chippewa. 
 
SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 189 
 
 10. The battle instantly commenced with the utmost spirit 
 and vigor on both sides, but with a numerical superiority of 
 nearly two to one in favor of the British, — General Porter's 
 command having become entirely demoralized, and General Eip- 
 ley's forces not having been able to reach the position assigned 
 them. The destructive effect of the American fire on his ex- 
 posed lines soon compelled the British General to order a con- 
 centrated charge on his opponent's front, which was so gallantly 
 received that a retreat was immediately ordered. General Scott 
 at once charged upon the whole line and triumphantly drove 
 them from the field in uncontrollable disorder to their camp on 
 the Chippewa. 
 
 11. The enemy's loss in this battle was six officers and two 
 hundred and thirty men, including eighty-seven Indians killed, 
 and twenty-six officers and about three hundred men wounded; 
 while that of the Americans, during the action and the preced- 
 ing skirmishes, was sixty men killed without the loss of a single 
 officer, and nine officers and two hundred and thirty-eight men 
 wounded. 
 
 12. General Rial soon afterwards broke up his encampment 
 at Chippewa and fell back on Queenstown, and, having thrown 
 part of his forces into Fort George and Mississaga, took post on 
 Twenty Mile Creek. General Brown, on the 10th, advanced to 
 Queenstown, where he encamped with his army ; and General 
 Rial, having effected a junction with his reinforcements, occupied 
 a new position at the Fifteen Mile Creek, about thirteen miles 
 from Queenstown. 
 
 13. On the morning of the 20th, General Brown, in ac- 
 cordance with the decision of a council of war, advanced from 
 Queenstown to Fort George, with the design — -in conjunction 
 with the fleet of Commodore Chauncey on Lake Ontario — of 
 investing and recapturing that fortress. Failing, however, in 
 his efforts to secure the co-operation of the fleet, he withdrew 
 his forces on the 24th to Chippewa, where he encamped on the 
 south side of the Niagara River. On the morning of the 25th 
 the advance of the British army, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
 Pearson, took position near Lundy's Lane, — a road entering 
 
 Movements of the two armies. — Battle of Lundy's Lane. 
 
190 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 the main road below the Falls, — at a distance of about three 
 miles from the American camp. 
 
 14. In ignorance of this movement of the enemy, General 
 Brown ordered the First Brigade, Captain Towson's artillery, and 
 the cavalry and mounted men, under the direction of General 
 Scott, to move towards Qiieenstown, with the view of checking 
 the progress of General Rial, in case he should have determined 
 to cross the river and execute a flank movement up the eastern 
 bank. In compliance with these orders, General Scott, between 
 five and si.'i o'clock in the afternoon, proceeded with his brigade 
 down the road towards the Falls. 
 
 15. Overtaking a small detachment of British cavalry in the 
 neighborhood of the Falls, information was immediately sent by 
 Scott to the main body of the presence of the enemy in force, 
 and of his intention to engage them. The column again moved 
 forward in the direction of Lundy's Lane, in its march to Queens- 
 town, and, passing a narrow strip of woods, suddenly emerged 
 in front of General Rial's entire army, strengthened by a heavy 
 reinforcement just arrived under Lieutenant-General Drum- 
 mond, strongly posted on a commanding elevation, on the sum- 
 mit of which frowned a battery of seven formidable pieces of 
 artillery. 
 
 16. Against this overwhelming force, consisting of upwards 
 of three thousand five hundred regulars, militia, and Indians, 
 with its artillery in the centre and its wings thrown forward, 
 ready to infold and crush all opposition. General Scott ad- 
 vanced at sunset with his single brigade, numbering not more 
 than thirteen hundred men in all, separated into two divisions, 
 and with only two small field-pieces. A brisk fire was im- 
 mediately opened upon the enemy's line by this small park of 
 artillery ; and so vigorous was the attack of Major Jesup's regi- 
 ment on the extreme right, that the British left, on its front, 
 ■was partially forced back for some distance, and General Rial 
 and his stafi" captured while on a reconnoissance, by Captain 
 Ketchum. 
 
 17. In the mean time. General Brown had promptly de- 
 spatched General Ripley with the Second Brigade, and General 
 
 General Scott's advance. — He encounters the entire British force. — He 
 attacks with a single brigade. 
 
LUNDY'S LANE. 191 
 
 Porter -with the volunteers, to the support of General Scott, 
 and proceeded himself to the field. Before the arrival of this 
 reinforcement the night had closed in, and the battle continued 
 to rage in its darkness. The incessant and deadly fire of the 
 enemy's battery in the centre shattered the advancing columns 
 as they approached, and the complete destruction of the gallant 
 band seemed inevitable. 
 
 18. At this crisis, General Ripley inquired of Colonel Miller 
 and Captain McDonald whether it might not be possible, not- 
 withstanding the great disparity of force, to capture and silence 
 this formidable battery. The reply of Colonel Miller — "I 'll 
 TEY, Sir ! " — has passed into history. Preparations were im- 
 mediately made for carrying this daring resolution into effect. 
 
 19. Colonel Miller's regiment was moved forward silently and 
 cautiously, but in perfect order, to a fence on the slope of 
 the hill in rear of the battery, where it drew up in line ; and, 
 after pouring in a well-directed volley, the men rushed forward 
 with their bayonets, and, driving before them the artillerists, 
 took possession of the guns, and occupied the summit of the 
 hill, surrounded by a legion of infuriated foes. 
 
 20. The First Brigade, under General Scott, continued in the 
 face of a galling fire to maintain its position, although regiment 
 after regiment of its brave defenders was decimated, and one 
 alone remained to sustain, with a spirit and bravery bordering 
 on desperation, the impetuous charge of the enemy. Major 
 Jesup still held the ground he had wrested from the enemy on 
 the Quccnstown road. Not a ray of light, except the occasional 
 flashes of the artillery or muskets of the combatants, illu- 
 minated the darkness of the night ; and at half past ten the 
 enemy's whole line, discomfited and defeated, had fallen back, 
 and again attempted to rally their broken forces in rear of their 
 former position. 
 
 21. During the ensuing two hours a series of bold and des- 
 perate efforts were made by the British, reinforced by two com- 
 panies of artillery, to regain the captured battery, and with 
 it the ground they had lost. Charge after charge, in the deep 
 obscurity of midnight, was made with the bayonet, and resisted 
 
 Scott reinforced by Generals Ripley and Porter. — Colonel Miller. — 
 Major .Josup. 
 
192 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 with unflagging pertinacity by the same deadly weapon ; and 
 after a hand-to-hand contest of two hours, waged with a brav- 
 ery and determination unparalleled in the annals of modern war- 
 fare, the enemy w'ere again driven from the well-contested field. 
 
 22. Generals Brown and Scott having both been severely 
 wounded, the command now devolved on General Eipley ; and, 
 after maintaining their position for an hour after the retreat of 
 the enemj-, the American force retired, under orders received from 
 General Brown, to their encampment at Chippewa, leaving the 
 captured battery, which they had no means of removing, to fall 
 into the possession of its original owners. 
 
 23. The loss of the Americans in this battle was ten officers, 
 and one hundred and sixty-one men killed, and forty-eight offi- 
 cers and five hundred and seventy-one men wounded ; while 
 that of the British was five officers and seventy-nine men killed, 
 Lieutenant-General Drummond, General Rial, thirty-seven of- 
 ficers, and five hundred and eighteen men wovmded or cap- 
 tured. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Admixistbatiox of Governor Tompkins. — Second War with Great 
 Britain (concluded). — Siege of Fort Erie. — Naval Victory on 
 Lake Champlain. — Attack on Plattsburg. 
 
 1. On the 26th of July the American army, under General 
 Brown, fell back on Fort Eric, without being in any man- 
 ner harassed or disturbed by the enemy. In this new 
 
 position strong intrenchments and additional defences were 
 thrown up, when, on the 3d of August, the British, again rein- 
 forced, appeared in strength before the fort, and, after having 
 opened fire upon it, employed themselves for several days in 
 vigorous preparations for a siege. 
 
 2. At sunrise on the 7th of August the enemy's first battery 
 ■(vas unmasked ; and from five pieces of artillery a volley was 
 poured upon the American lines, from which the national flag 
 
 rictirement of the Americans. — Losses. — Siege of Fort Erie. — First 
 attack. 
 
SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 193 
 
 ■was proudly displayed, amid the inspiriting strains of the vari- 
 ous regimental bands. For an entire week the siege was prose- 
 cuted with great vigor, the fire was unremitting and severe, and 
 the defence, under the immediate direction of General Gaines, 
 spirited and persistent. 
 
 3. At about two o'clock in the morning of the 15th, a com- 
 bined assault was commenced on the extreme left of the Amer- 
 ican lines by the enemy, under Lieutenant-Colonel Fischer, with 
 from fifteen hundred to two thousand men. After having been 
 repulsed four times, with great spirit and energy, and with 
 a heavy loss, by the Twenty-First Regiment, under Major Wood 
 of the Engineers, Captain Towson's artillerists, and the Twenty- 
 Third Regiment, the attack in that quarter was abandoned. 
 
 4. In the centre, however, General Porter's brigade, two regi- 
 ments of the rifle corps, and a detachment of artillery under 
 Major Hindman, were confronted by a force of about five hun- 
 dred men under Lieutenant-General Drummond. The garrison, 
 under the lead of Captain Williams and Lieutenants McDon- 
 ough and Watmough, gave them a spirited reception, hurled 
 back their scaling-ladders, and drove them from the bastions 
 ■with a heavy loss. A second and third assault followed, with 
 the same results ; the garrison being now strengthened by Gen- 
 eral Ripley's brigade of regulars. 
 
 5. Soon afterwards, taking advantage of the darkness of the 
 morning and the heavy columns of smoke, Lieutenant-General 
 Drummond moved his troops silently round the ditch, repeated 
 his charge, and reascended his ladders with such celerity as to 
 obtain a footing on the parapet before any effectual opposition 
 could be made. Orders were given to show no mercy to the 
 garrison. The conflict was desperate ; Captain Williams and 
 Lieutenants ]VIcDonough and Watmough fell, the former mor- 
 tally wounded ; charge followed charge in rapid succession until 
 daybreak, ■when the enemy, in spite of every effort, retained pos- 
 session of the bastion. 
 
 6. On the extreme right, defended by the remnant of the 
 First (Scott's) Brigade, under the command of Lieutenant-Colo- 
 nel Aspinwall, the Douglass Battery, Colonel McRee, and Cap- 
 Combined assault and its repulse. — Drummond's attack, repulse^ serond 
 
 attack and repnlse. 
 
 13 
 
194 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 tains Boughton and Harding of the Volunteers, an ineffectual as- 
 sault was also repeatedly made hy the enemy under Lieutenant- 
 Colonel Scott. The resistance in this quarter was so spirited and 
 persistent that at daybreak the British troops were withdrawn. 
 
 7. The struggle for the possession of the fort was now con- 
 centrated in the central bastion, which, at the moment of 
 the advance of the British reserve to support the successful ad- 
 vance, burst with a terrific explosion, and a jet of flame, min- 
 gled with fragments of timber, earth, stone, and human bodies, 
 rose to the height of more than a hundred feet in the air, and 
 fell in a shower of ruins in every direction. The reserves im- 
 mediately fell back ; and soon afterwards the conflict ended in 
 the entire defeat of the enemy, whose shattered columns re- 
 turned to their encampment with the loss of two hundred and 
 twenty killed, one hundred and seventy-four wounded, and 
 nearly two hundred prisoners. 
 
 8. During the ensuing month the American army were busily 
 engaged in repairing the ruined bastion, and strengthening and 
 increasing the works. Both armies in the interval had received 
 reinforcements, and the siege was prosecuted and the defence 
 sustained with skill and spirit on both sides. General Gaines 
 had left the encampment and returned to Buffalo, and General 
 Brown, who had recovered from his wounds, resumed the com- 
 mand of the army. 
 
 9. On the morning of the 1 7th of September, in the midst of 
 a heavy fog with occasional showers of rain, a sortie was made 
 from the fort, in two divisions, commanded respectively by Gen- 
 erals Porter and Miller, supported by Colonel Miller's regiment 
 under General Ripley as a reserve. At noon. General Porter's 
 division, accompanied by Colonel Gibson and Major Wood, 
 moved from the encampment, and, marching through the woods, 
 at three o'clock rushed upon the enemy's lines and carried 
 them by assault. 
 
 10. Simultaneously with this movement, General Miller, with 
 the right division, attacked the centre of the British lines, and 
 compelled its defenders to a precipitate flight, after capturing 
 their batteries and fortifications. In this gallant and success- 
 Central biistion. — Defeat of the British. — Keinforccments. — Sally 
 
 from the fort. 
 
INVASIOy OF NEW YORK. 195 
 
 fill achievement the Americans suffered severely, Major-General 
 Davis, Lieutenant-Colonel Wood, Colonel Gibson, with seven 
 other officers and seventy men, having been killed, and Generals 
 Porter and Eipley, Lieutenant-Colonel Aspinwall, twenty-two 
 other officers, and one hundred and ninety men wounded. The 
 British loss was equally severe ; and, after collecting his scat- 
 tered forces, General Drummond broke up his encampment, and 
 resumed his foiiner position on the Chippewa. 
 
 11. The British having, in August, captured the city of Wash- 
 ington, and burned and destroyed the principal public buildings, 
 and the entire coast being blockaded by the English fleet, ener- 
 getic measures for the defence of the city of New York were 
 adopted by the inhabitants. An enthusiastic public meeting 
 was held, and the citizens, without distinction of party, pledged 
 themselves to a vigorous co-operation with the national and 
 State authorities in the prosecixtion of the war. The various 
 fortifications in and around the city were strengthened and 
 supplied with effective garrisons, twenty thousand troops were 
 raised and stationed in the city under the command of Major- 
 Generals Morgan Lewis and Ebenezer Stevens, and Commodore 
 Decatur placed in charge of the fleet lying in the harbor. The 
 city and its suburbs became one vast camj), animated by a firm 
 determination to uphold the national honor, and preserve at all 
 hazards their beautiful metropolis. 
 
 12. On the refusal of the banks to advance the requisite funds 
 for the organization and support of this immense force on the 
 security of the United States Treasury notes alone, Governor 
 Tompkins patriotically came forward and pledged his own per- 
 sonal and official security as indorser on the part of the State 
 for a loan of half a million of dollars, which were thereupon 
 promptly advanced. 
 
 13. In the mean time. General Sir George Prevost, with fifteen 
 thousand men from the Duke of Wellington's successful army, 
 aided by a strong naval squadron under Sir James L. Yeo, pre- 
 pared for an invasion of the State by way of Lake Champlain. 
 The greater part of the American forces stationed at Plattsburg, 
 under the command of General Izard, having been transferred 
 
 Preparations for defence of the city of New York. — Indorsement of the 
 credit of the government by Governor Tompkins. — Invasion of New York. 
 
196 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 to the Niagara frontier, Sir George at once put his command in 
 motion without Traiting for the co-operation of the squadron, 
 and early in September advanced through Clinton County to a 
 point within eight miles of Plattsburg on Lake Champlain. 
 
 1-i. While these movements were in progress, General Macomb 
 gathered together at Champlain the fragments of the American 
 armj-, niunbering not more than fifteen hundred effective men, 
 and, retiring before the British general, fell back on Plattsburg 
 and completed the defences which had been commenced on the 
 southern bank of the Saranac, a small stream which enters the 
 lake at that place. 
 
 15. Against this small force. General Sir George Prevost 
 moved his array in two columns on the two parallel roads lead- 
 ing to Plattsburg. On the upper, or Beekmantown road, Briga- 
 dier-General Mooers with seven hundred militia, and Major 
 John E. AVool with two hundred and fifty regular troops and 
 two pieces of artillery, disputed and considerably checked his 
 progress, while the defence of the lower or lake-shore road was 
 intrusted to Lieutenant-Colonel Appling and Captain Sproul. 
 
 16. General Prevost, however, succeeded, with considerable 
 loss, in reaching Plattsburg ; and both divisions of the Ameri- 
 can force, slowly retiring before him, and destroying the bridges 
 over the Saranac, entered their works, whence they poured a 
 storm of hot shot into the buildings of the town occupied 
 by the British. The latter contented themselves for the en- 
 suing week in the preparation of batteries for assaulting their 
 position, and in the mean time awaiting the arrival of the naval 
 squadron. 
 
 1 7. During this period, Commodore Thomas McDonough, with 
 a fleet consisting of four large vessels — the Saratoga, Eagle, 
 Ticonderoga, and Preble - — and ten small galleys, mounting in all 
 about seventy guns, lay at anchor in the bay off' Plattsburg, ad- 
 joining Lake Champlain. The enemy's squadron, under Captain 
 George Downie of the Eoyal Navj', made its appearance, enter- 
 ing the bay around Cumberland Head on the morning of the 
 1 1 th of September, consisting of the sloop Finch, the flag-ship 
 Confiance, the brig Linnet, and the sloop Chubb, with twelve 
 
 Attack upon Plattsburg. — Battle on Lake Champlain. 
 
SECOSD WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 197 
 
 gunboats, mounting in all ninety-five guns, including an eighteen- 
 pound Columbiad. 
 
 18. As this imposing squadron came into line around Cum- 
 berland Head, — the Chubb moving against the Eagle, the Finch 
 towards the Preble and Ticonderoga, and tlie Confiance against 
 the Saratoga, — the several small vessels prepared for action. 
 After solemn prayers on board the flag-ship, and without wait- 
 ing the signal for attack, the Eagle opened fire for some time 
 without effect, followed, as soon as her guns began to tell, by 
 the Saratoga and the remainder of the vessels. 
 
 19. The Linnet, then anchored in a favorable position for- 
 ward of the Eagle's beam, poured a well-directed broadside into 
 the Saratoga ; while the Chubb, seeking a position from which to 
 rake the American line, received a broadside from the Eagle, 
 which carried away her cables, bowsprit, and boom, and in- 
 flicted so severe an injury that she drifted down between the 
 two opposing lines, until, after receiving another shot from the 
 Saratoga, she was compelled to surrender, and was towed to 
 the shore by one of the Saratoga's boats. 
 
 20. Extraordinary efforts were made during the action, by 
 the Finch, to disable the Ticonderoga and Preble; and the Con- 
 fiance opened fire upon the Saratoga with terrible effect, killing 
 or wounding about forty of her crew. But in the course of an 
 hour the Finch, badly disabled, was driven from her position 
 near the Ticonderoga, and, running upon Crab Island, was there 
 captured, while on the American side the Preble was compelled 
 to fall back o\it of range of the enemy's guns. 
 
 21. The contest had now narrowed down to the Confiance and 
 Linnet, on the right of the line, against the Eagle, the Saratoga, 
 and the galleys, and on the left the British gunboats against the 
 Ticonderoga. The Linnet had secured an admirable position 
 at the head of the enemy's line, and gallantly sustained and 
 returned the fire of the Eagle ; the Confiance was pouring in 
 her broadsides on both the Eagle and the Saratoga, and the 
 gunboats were struggling for supremacy with the Ticonderoga. 
 
 22. The Eagle having lost her springs, and being prevented 
 from bringing her guns to bear, her commander ran her down 
 
 Progress of the fifrht. — Disabling of the British vessels Chubb and Finch, 
 and of the American vessel Saratoga. 
 
198 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 between the Saratoga and Ticonderoga, where he again opened 
 fire on the Confiance and Linnet, the former in the mean time 
 raking the Saratoga on her bows. The Saratoga in turn hav- 
 ing become disabled, Commodore McDonough brought her 
 around, in the face of a gaUing iire from the Linnet, in a posi- 
 tion enabhng her to bring her batteries to bear on the Con- 
 fiance, and, after a gallant contest of upwards of two hours, 
 compelled that vessel to strike her colors. 
 
 23. Within fifteen minutes afterwards the Linnet surren- 
 dered to the Saratoga, and the gunboats, withdrawing from 
 their attack on the Ticonderoga, escaped from the harbor. The 
 commanders of the several remaining vessels surrendered their 
 swords to Commodore McDonough, on the Saratoga, who cour- 
 teousl}- returned them to their brave owners, with the remark 
 that they " were worthy to wear them.'' The prisoners were 
 ordered to Crab Island, with the strictest directions to treat 
 them kindly, and speak to them encouragingly. 
 
 2-1. After the completion of this signal victory the troops 
 were withdrawn by Sir George Prevost from the town, the bat- 
 teries dismantled, the artillery and stores removed, and during 
 the succeeding night he followed with his entire army, leaving 
 behind him the sick and wounded, together with immense 
 quantities of provisions, camp equipage, and other stores, as 
 trophies of his signal discomfiture. 
 
 25. The loss of the British on this occasion was three officers 
 and thirty-four men killed, and eight officers and one hundred 
 and forty -two men wounded, on shore ; Captain Downio, four 
 officers, and fifty-two men killed, and three officers and sixty- 
 nine men wounded, on the lake. The Americans lost one offi- 
 cer and thirty-six men killed, and two officers and sixty men 
 wounded, on land ; and four officers and forty-eight men killed, 
 and four officers and fifty -four men wounded, on the lake. 
 
 2G. Governor Tompkins, in consequence of the exposed situa- 
 tion of the country, and the imminent danger of invasion of 
 the State, convened the Legislature, by proclamation, on the 
 26th of September. Samuel Young, of Saratoga, was chosen 
 Speaker, and Aaron Clark, of New York, Clerk of the Assembly. 
 
 Surrender of the Linnet. — Complete victoi-y of McDonough. — Special 
 session of the Legislature. 
 
THE TREATY OF GHENT. 199 
 
 Acts were passed for the increase of the pay of the militia in 
 the service of the United States, providing for the raising of 
 troops for the defence of the State and city of New York, in- 
 cluding two regiments of colored soldiers, and authorizing the 
 formation of associations for the encouragement of privateering. 
 Provision was also made for indemnifying Governor Tompkins 
 for all expenditures and responsibilities incurred by him in the 
 defence of the State, not provided for by existing laws. 
 
 27. These energetic and spirited proceedings of the New 
 York Legislature, combined with the prompt measures for the 
 defence of the city of New York by its inhabitants, gave great 
 satisfaction to the government at Washington ; and so highly 
 were the patriotic efforts and sacrifices of Governor Tompkins 
 at this crisis appreciated, that President Madison tendered him 
 the position of Secretary of State of the United States, Mr. 
 Monroe having now the charge of the War Department. The 
 Governor, however, conceiving that, in his present position, he 
 could be of greater service to the country, declined the flatter- 
 ing ofiFer. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Administration op Governor Tompkins. — Treaty op Peace with 
 Great Britain. — Election op Governor De Witt Clinton. — 
 
 F.RIE ASD ChaMPLAIN CaNAL. — CoMMON SCHOOLS. — StATE OF 
 
 Parties. 
 
 1. At the meeting of the Legislature in January, 1815, 
 Nath.^x Sanford, of New York, was elected United States 
 Senator in place of Obadiah German, whose term had expired, 
 and Martix Vax Buren Attorney-General, in place of Abraham 
 Van Vechten, removed. On the 12th of February, information 
 was received of the conclusion of a treaty of peace between 
 Great Britain and the United States at Ghent, on the 24th of 
 December previous, and of the splendid victory of General Jack- 
 
 Spirited proceedings for the public defence. — Their reception at Washing- 
 ton. — Govsrnor Tompkins declines the State Department. — United States 
 Senator. — Attorney-General. — Treaty of peace with Great Britain. — 
 Battle of New Orleans. 
 
200 iSJXTB PERIOD. 
 
 SOX at Xew Orleans on the 8th of January. This intelligence 
 created a general feeling of joy and satisfaction throughout the 
 country, and was appropriately celebrated in the several towns 
 and cities of the State. 
 
 2. In December of this year a large public meeting was held 
 in the city of New York in reference to the construction of the 
 Erie and Champlain Canal, sj)irited resolutions in its favor 
 adopted, and a strong memorial to the Legislature, drawn up by 
 Mr. Clinton, directed to be forwarded to that body. Governor 
 
 Tompkins, in his speech at the opening of the session of 
 1816, expatiated upon the importance of this great enter- 
 prise, not only to the State of New York, but to the Western and 
 Eastern States, and anticipated the zealous co-operation of those 
 States in the proposed work. The citizens of Albany also held 
 a large meeting and passed strong resolutions in favor of the 
 measure. 
 
 3. The difficulties to be surmounted in the further prosecu- 
 tion of this gTeat undertaking were formidable in the extreme, 
 and nothing but the indomitable energj- and perseverance of Mr. 
 Clinton and his associates in the canal commission could have 
 succeeded in overcoming them. The funds of the State had 
 been wellnigh exhausted by the efforts rendered necessary in 
 the prosecution of the war ; all aid from the general govern- 
 ment or the adjacent States had been pertinaciously withheld ; 
 the resources of private enterprise crippled and paralyzed by the 
 financial embarrassments of the crisis, and the project itself was 
 almost universally regarded as visionary and chimerical. The 
 preliminarj' measures put in operation for the commencement 
 of the work, under previous acts of the Legislature, however ably 
 devised and faithfully executed, had been necessarily attended 
 by great expense to the State, and the current of public senti- 
 ment ran strongly against any additional legislation in behalf 
 of an enterprise so vast in its conception and inexhaustible in 
 its demands upon the public treasurj\ 
 
 i. On the 1 7th of April the Legislature was induced, princi- 
 pally through the exertions of Mr. Clinton, powerfully sup- 
 General rejoicings. — Canal meetings in New York and All)any. — Gov- 
 ernor's speech. — Difficulties and embarrassments of the undertaking. — 
 Energy and perseverance of Mr. Clinton in its prosecution. 
 
FEDERAL AND STATE ELECTIONS. 201 
 
 ported by Mr. Van Buren and Colonel Young, to pass an " Act 
 to provide for the improvement of the internal navigation 
 of the State " repealing the previous statutes on the subject, 
 and appointing Stephen Van Rensselaer, De AVitt Clinton, 
 Samuel Young, Joseph Ellicott, and Myron Hollby Canal 
 Commissioners, ^vith authority to prosecute all necessary sur- 
 veys for the route of the proposed canal, and report to the 
 Legislatiire at its nest session. Twenty thousand dollars were 
 appropriated for this purpose from the State treasury. 
 
 5. The April elections resulted, by a large majority, in favor 
 of the Republicans. Governor Tompkins and Lieutenant-Gov- 
 ernor Tayler were re-elected, over Rufus King and George 
 Tibbetts, with a Republican majority in both branches of the 
 Legislature. This body met on the 5th of November for the 
 choice of presidential electors. Electors were appointed favor- 
 able to James Monroe of Virginia for President, and Daniel 
 D. Tompkins of New York for Vice-President, who were sub- 
 sequently elected by a nearly unanimous vote ; Massachusetts, 
 Connecticut, and Delaware casting thirty-four votes only for 
 Rufus King for President, and twenty-two for John E. Howard, 
 of Maryland, for Vice-President. 
 
 6. At the opening of the session on the 28th of January, 
 1817, Governor Tompkins sent a message to the Legislature 
 recommending the entire Abolition of Slavery in the State 
 from and after the 4th of July, 1827. By a previous act, all 
 males bom of slave parents subsequent to the year 1799 were 
 to become free at the age of twenty-eight, and females at twenty- 
 five. The recommendation of the Governor was unanimously 
 concurred in by the Legislature. Thus through the philan- 
 thropic exertions of the Society of Friends in the city of New 
 York and elsewhere, and the energetic aid of Cadwallader D. 
 Colden, Peter A. Jay, William Jay, Governor Tompkins, and 
 other friends of humanity throughout the State, the dark blot 
 of slavery was destined to be forever erased from our escutcheon. 
 
 7. A few days previous to the 4th of ]\Iarch, Vice-President 
 Tompkins resigned his office as Governor, the duties of which 
 
 Act for appointment of Canal Commissioners, and survey of canal. — 
 ■Election of President Monroe and Vice-President Tompkins. — Abolition 
 of Slavery. — Resignation of Governor Tompkins. 
 
202 SIXTH PEIUOD. 
 
 vere devolved upon Lieutenant-Governor Taj'ler. An act was 
 passed providing for the election of a successor at the ensuing 
 spring elections, at which term De Witt Clixtox, by a nearly- 
 unanimous vote, was elected Governor, and John Tayler Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor, with a decided Eepublican majority in both 
 branches of the Legislature. 
 
 8. On the 10th of March the Canal Commissioners presented 
 to the Legislature an elaborate report of their proceedings ; 
 and on the 1 7th of April, after the most strenuous opposition, 
 an act was passed, prepared by Mr. Clinton, authorizing the 
 construction of the proposed canal from the Hudson to Lakes 
 Champlain and Erie, — three hundred and sixty-three miles in 
 length, with a surface of forty feet in breadth, declining to 
 eighteen at the bottom, with a depth of four feet of water, 
 sufficient for the conveyance of vessels of one hundred tons' 
 burden. 
 
 9. On the 4th of July succeeding, this great enterprise was 
 commenced at Rome, in the presence of Governor Clinton and 
 the commissioners, by James Richardson, and the first steps were 
 taken for the construction of a magnificent public work, hitherto 
 unequalled in importance and extent in the civilized world, and 
 destined in the future to exert an immense influence upon the 
 agricultural, commercial, and mechanical interests of the entire 
 f nion. 
 
 10. On the 27th of January, 1818, the Legislatiire 
 again assembled. Governor Clinton, in his first address 
 to that body, after presenting a clear view of the financial 
 affairs of the State, and recapitulating the progress made in 
 the construction of the canal, submitted various recommenda- 
 tions for the improvement of the civil and criminal laws of the 
 State. A formidable political opposition to his administration, 
 headed by Mr. Van Buren, Colonel Young, Roger Skinner, Wal- 
 ter Bowne, General Root, and other leading Republicans, soon 
 developed itself, and gave origin to the formation of two new 
 and distinctly marked parties, known as the Buoktail, or Demo- 
 cratic, and the Clintonian. John Van Ness Yates was ap- 
 
 Election of Governor Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor Taylcr. — Pas- 
 sa^rc of the act for the construction of the canal. — Commencement of the 
 work. — New organization of parlies. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 203 
 
 pointed Secretary of State by the Council, in place of Dr. 
 Cooper, removed. 
 
 11. On the 16th of March, Gideon- Hawley, the Superin- 
 tendent of Common Schools, transmitted to the Legislature his 
 fifth annual Keport, from which it appeared that there were in 
 the State upwards of five thousand schools properly organized, 
 in wliich more than two hundred thousand children were an- 
 nually taught during an average period of from four to six months. 
 The Lancasterian system of instruction was fully indorsed, and 
 its advantages were pointed out at great length. This system, 
 however, after a brief experiment, failed in accomplishing the 
 favorable results which were expected, and was finally abandoned. 
 
 12. During the session an able report on the subject of 
 domestic manufactures -was presented by Perez Eandall of 
 Chenango, chairman of the committee on that subject, recom- 
 mending, in view of the high price of foreign fabrics and the 
 depressed condition of the country generally, consequent on the 
 exhaustion produced by the -nar, the development and cultiva- 
 tion of our own industrial and mechanical resources, and the 
 rehance, as far as practicable, upon domestic manufacture, 
 especially in the article of clothing. 
 
 1 3. The results of the spring elections were generally favora- 
 ble to the Clintonians, a majority in both branches of the Legis- 
 lature and of the popular vote having been secured in their 
 favor. Most of the prominent Federalists of the State were 
 among the leading supporters of the administration of Governor 
 Clinton, although that party, as a distinctive pohtical organiza- 
 tion, had ceased to exist. 
 
 14. The Legislature convened on the 5th of January, 
 1819. General Obadiah German, of Chenango, was cho- 
 sen Speaker of the Assembly, after a violent political contest, 
 lasting for two days. Governor Clinton, in his address, again 
 adverted to the canal policy of the State, reminding the Legis- 
 lature, that, under the act of 1817, the commissioners were only 
 authorized to contract for the construction of canals between 
 
 Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools. — The Lfinciistcrian 
 system of instruction. — Report on domestic manufactures. — Spring elec- 
 tions. — Triumph of the Clintonians. — Meeting of the Legislature. — Rec- 
 ommendations of the Governor. 
 
204 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 the Mohawk and Seneca Rivers and the Hudson and Lake 
 Champlain, and strongly urging the opening of the entire Une 
 from Lake Erie to the tide-waters of the Hudson, and from Fort 
 Edward to the head of sloop navigation on that river. These 
 views were concurred in by the Legislature, and an act was passed 
 for carrying them into efi'ect. Henry Seymour, of Oneida, was 
 appointed Canal Commissioner in place of ilr. Ellicott, resigned. 
 
 15. The appointment of Chief-Justice Thompson as Secretary 
 of the Navy under the United States Government produced 
 anotlier vacancy on the bench of the Supreme Court of the 
 State, which was filled by the promotion of Ambrose Spencee 
 as Chief-Justice, and the appointment of John Woodworth as 
 Associate Justice. An act was passed requiring the Comptroller 
 to Hquidate and settle the outstanding accounts — as between 
 Vice-President Tompkins and the State, and also between the 
 State and the general government — growing out of the late war. 
 
 16. The annual report of the Superintendent of Common 
 Schools exliibited a gi-atifying increase in the number of schools 
 and of children taught. On his recommendation the general 
 school law was revised and consolidated, and its provisions were, 
 with necessary forms and instructions, published and distributed 
 among the several school districts of the State. 
 
 1 7. The April elections terminated favorably to the friends 
 of Governor Clinton in both branches of the Legislature. Mr. 
 Van Buren was soon afterwards removed from the office of At- 
 torney-General, and Thomas J. Oakley, of Dutchess, appointed 
 in his place. During the summer an animated controversy was 
 maintained between the State Comptroller, Archibald McIn- 
 TYRE, and Vice-President Tompkins, in reference to the settle- 
 ment of the accounts of the latter under the act passed by the 
 late Legislature. The deficiency of these accounts amounted to 
 about $120,000 out of an expenditure of several millions, and 
 were chiefly explainable by the unmethodical manner in which 
 they were kept, and the urgency of the crisis in which the funds 
 
 Amendment of the canal law. — Appointment of Henry Seymour as 
 Commissioner. — Judicial appointments. — Settlement of Vice-President 
 Tompkin^'s acconnts. — Report of the Superintendent of Common Schools. 
 — Revision of the j-chool law. — Result of the S]irinj; elections. — Attorney- 
 Generals. — Controversy between the Vice-President and the Comptroller. 
 
RE-ELECTION OF GOVERNOR CLINTON. 205 
 
 were expended. No moral delinquency was attributable to or 
 charged upon the Vice-President. On the 22d of October the 
 first boat on the Erie Canal sailed from Eomo to Utica with Gov- 
 ernor Clinton, Chancellor Livingston, General Van Eensselaer, 
 and other distinguished citizens on board. 
 
 18. The Legislature reassembled early in January, 
 1820. PiUFUS King was unanimously re-elected United 
 States Senator, and joint resolutions were unanimously adopted 
 in opposition to the admission of Missouri as a State, with a con- 
 stitution permitting the existence of slavery. Several ineffectual 
 efforts were made in the two Houses for the adjustment of the 
 pending controversy between the Vice-President and the Comp- 
 troller, but no definitive result was reached. 
 
 19. An exciting political contest now ensued between the 
 candidates of the rival parties for Governor and Lieutenant-Gov- 
 ernor at the approaching spring election. The Democrats placed 
 in nomination Vice-President Tompkins for the former, and 
 General Bexjajiin Mooers, of Clinton, for the latter office. 
 Governor Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor Tayler were re- 
 nominated by the Clintonians, and, after a spirited canvass on 
 both sides, re-elected by about fourteen hundred majority. The 
 Democrats succeeded, however, in carrying a majority of both 
 Houses of the Legislature. 
 
 20. The success of Governor Clinton at this time was due in 
 a very great measure to his popularity as the leading champion 
 of the canal interest. During the progress of that groat work 
 a decided revolution had taken place in the public mind as to 
 its practicability and prospective value, and the agricultural and 
 mercantile interests of the State especially looked forward to its 
 completion with the highest expectations of success. To the 
 merely local issues of the canvass they were comparatively in- 
 different ; but on this absorbing question they were determined 
 to sustain the able and far-seeing statesman who had identified 
 himself and his administration with the splendid system of in- 
 ternal improvement now in progress. 
 
 First boat on the Erie Canal. — Proceedings of the Legislature. — Re- 
 election of Rufiis King as United States Senator. — Exciting political cam- 
 paign. — Ee-election of Governor Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor Tayler. 
 — Republican triumph in the Legislature. — The canal policy. 
 
206 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 21. The Legislature reassembled in November for the ap- 
 pointment of presidential electors. Governor Clinton, in his 
 address, recommended the passage of a law for the choice of 
 presidential electors by the people, and for the calling of a con- 
 vention for the amendment of the State Constitution. He also 
 entered a solemn protest against the interference of the officers 
 of the United States Government with the State elections. 
 
 22. After the choice of presidential electors, General Root, 
 of Delaware County, introduced a bill declaring the incom- 
 pntibility of the existence of slavery in this State with its con- 
 stitution and laws. No action was, however, taken upon the 
 proposition, although it was ably supported by its mover. On 
 tlie J 0th of November a bill was introduced and passed accept- 
 ing a release, on the part of Vice-President Tompkins, of all 
 claims against the State, and directing the Comptroller, on filing 
 the same, to balance all accounts between the respective parties. 
 
 2.3. The bill for the call of a Constitutional Convention passed 
 both Houses on the 18th, but was rejected by the casting vote 
 of Governor Clinton in the Council of Revision. After calling 
 upon the Governor for proof of his charges of interference on 
 the part of the officers of the general government with the State 
 elections, and the interchange of a few brief but spicy messages 
 between the Senate and Governor, the Legislature adjourned. 
 Messrs. iloNROE and Tompkins were re-elected President and 
 Vice-President without serious opposition. 
 
 Choice of presidential electors. — Governor's message. — Proceedings of 
 the Legislature. — Settlement of the controversy between the Vice-President 
 and Comptroller. — Ee-elcction of President Monroe and Vice-President 
 Tompkins. 
 
THE STATE GOVERNMENT. 207 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 SeCOXD AdMIXISTEATION of GOTERNOE ClIXTON. — CONSTITnTIONAL 
 COXVESTION OF 1821. — ADOPTION OF THE NeW CONSTITUTION. 
 
 1. Ox the 9th of January, 1821, the Legislature again 
 assembled, and on the 1 7th the Governor transmitted a 
 special message, containing specific and voluminous proofs of his 
 allegations in reference to the interference of the general gov- 
 ernment in State elections. A new and amended bill was in- 
 troduced, and passed both Houses, providing for the call of a 
 Constitutional Convention, subject to the approval of the people 
 at the ensuing spring election. Martix Van Buben was elected 
 United States Senator to fill the vacancy occasioned by the expira- 
 tion of the official term of Nathan Sanford and William C. Bouck, 
 of Schoharie, appointed an additional Canal Commissioner. 
 
 2. GiDEOX Hawley, of Albany, was at this time removed by 
 the Council of Appointment from the office of Superintendent of 
 Common Schools, — a position which he had occupied for eight 
 years to the universal acceptance of all parties, and with the 
 gi-eatcst ability and fidelitj- to the important interests confided 
 to his charge. His successor was Welcome Esleeck, a young 
 lawyer of Albany, so utterly incompetent for the position that 
 the Legislature abolished the office, devolving its duties upon 
 the Secretary of State. 
 
 3. The joint committee of both Houses, to whom was referred 
 the special message of the Governor, presented their report on 
 the 15th of March, commenting with great asperity on the lan- 
 guage of the message, submitting counter-evidence to its charges, 
 and concluding by expressing the opinion that no extraneous 
 influences had been shown to exist in any State election. The 
 Legislature finally adjourned in the latter part of March. 
 
 Proceedings of the Lciiisl.Ttiire. — Govemor'.s special messafje. — Bill for 
 Constitutional Convention. — Election of United States Scn.itor. — Ap- 
 pointment of Canal Commissioner. — Proeeedin|xs of the Council of Ap- 
 pointment. — Abolition of the office of Superintendent of Common Schools, 
 and devolvcmcnt of its duties on the Secretary of State. — Report of the joint 
 committee on the Governor's special message. 
 
208 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 4. The April elections resulted in a decided Democratic tri- 
 umph in both branches of the Legislature, and a majority of 
 nearly sevcnty-iive thousand for the proposed convention for the 
 amendment of the Constitution. On the third Tuesday of June 
 an election was accordingly held throughout the State for the 
 ajjpointment of delegates from the several counties. 
 
 5. Although a large majority of these delegates were mem- 
 bers of the Democratic party, political distinctions and local 
 residence Averc, in many parts of the State, set aside for intellect- 
 ual abilitj" and high moral worth. Mr. Van Buren, though a 
 resident of Columbia, was returned from Otsego ; and Vice-Presi- 
 dent ToMPKixs, Chancellor Kent, Judges Spencer, Van Ness, 
 and Platt, Xathax Sanford, of New York, John Duer, from 
 Orange, Colonel Young, of Saratoga, General Eoot, of Delaware, 
 Samuel Nelson, of Cortland, Rufus King, Abraham Van Vech- 
 TEN, and Stephen Van Uensselaer, of Albany, Elisha Williams, 
 of Columbia, and several others of the most distinguished citi- 
 zens of the State, were elected to this body. 
 
 6. The convention assembled at the capitol, in the city of 
 Albany, on the 28th of August, presenting an array of talent, 
 political abilit}', public experience, and weight of personal char- 
 acter unsurpassed by any similar body of men heretofore con- 
 vened in the Union. One hundred and ten delegates were 
 present ; and after having been called to order by General Root, 
 Daniel D. Tompkins of Richmond, Vice-President of the United 
 States, was, with almost entire unanimity, elected President, 
 and John F. Bacon and Sanmel L. Gardner, Secretaries. Wil- 
 li;im L. Stone, editor of the Now York Commercial Advertiser ; 
 Nathaniel H. Carter, of the Statesman ; Moses I. Cantine, of the 
 Alliany Argus ; Marcus T. C. Gould and Levi H. Clarke, stenog- 
 raphers, — were formally admitted within the bar as reporters. 
 
 7. The Convention remained in session for two months and 
 a half, during which period the debates and discussions were of 
 the highest interest, and conducted with the most signal ability. 
 Tlic right of suffrage was extended to every male citizen of the 
 
 S])viiip; elections. — Tiiumph of the Democracv. — Delegates to the Con- 
 stitutionul Convention. — Meeting and organization of the Convention. — 
 Proceedings of the Convention. — Character of the debates. — Extension of 
 tlie right of suffrage. 
 
TUE STATE COSSTITUTION. 209 
 
 age of t^wenty-one years and upwards, with no other restriction 
 than that of residence and exemption from criminal conviction, 
 and the requisition of a freehold qualification of two hundred 
 and fifty dollars in the case of colored voters. The councils of 
 appointment and revision were abolished, the functions of the 
 former being devolved upon the Governor and Senate, and of 
 the latter upon the Governor, who was vested with the veto 
 power. 
 
 8. The judiciary system was remodelled by the substitution 
 of circuit courts in eigiit judicial districts, into which the State 
 was divided, in place of the previous system of trials of im- 
 portant issues before one of the judges of the Supreme Court ; 
 the reduction of the Supreme Court to a Chief-Justice and two 
 Assistant Justices, with the right of appeal to the Senate, Chan- 
 cellor, and Judges of the Supreme Court, sitting as a Court for 
 the Correction of Errors, the several judges to hold oifice until 
 the age of sixty years, unless previously removed for cause ; 
 and the appointment of a chancellor, for the determination, 
 subject to the same right of appeal, of all cases of equity 
 jiu'isdiction. The various county courts of Common Pleas and 
 General Sessions, and Justices of the Peace in the several towns, 
 w-ere retained, the judges and justices to be appointed by the 
 Governor and Senate. 
 
 9. The legislative department was declared to consist of a 
 Senate, composed of thirty-two members, distributed equally 
 over eight Senate districts, elected for four years, one fourth of 
 this number going out each year, presided over by the Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor, with a casting vote ; and an Assembly con- 
 sisting of one hundred and twenty-eight members, apportioned 
 among the several counties according to population, and an- 
 nually elected. A Governor and Lieutenant-Governor were to 
 be biennially elected, and the several State oificers, with the 
 exception of the Adjutant-General, chosen by joint ballot of 
 the Senate and Assembly once in every tliree years. Sheriffs, 
 coimty clerks, and coroners were to be elected by the people 
 of the several cotmties for a term of three years. 
 
 10. After adopting these varioiis provisions, and also a sec- 
 
 Judicinl system. — Legislative and executive departments. — County and 
 State officers. 
 
 14 
 
210 SIXTH PERIOD. 
 
 tion requiring the call of future conventions for the amendment 
 of the Constitution on the expiration of each period of twenty 
 years thereafter, and authorizing the Legislature, in the mean 
 time, by a two-thirds vote, to submit any amendment deemed 
 requisite to a popular vote for its ratijBcation, the Convention 
 finally adjourned on the 10th of November; and at a special 
 election, held in the ensuing February, the new Constitution 
 was approved and adopted by a majority of thirty-four thousand 
 votes. 
 
 Provisions for future amendments. — Adjournment of the Conventioa 
 — Ratification of the Constitution by the people. 
 

 Aqueduct Bridge on the Erie Canal at Little Falls. 
 
 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 FHOJI THE COXSTITUTION OF 1821 TO THE CON^ 
 STITUTION OF 18^6. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 Adjiixistkatiox of Governor Yates. — Third Administration of 
 Governor Clinton. — The Electoral Law. — PEOrLn's Partv. 
 Hemoval of Governor Clinton as Canal Commissioner. — Ke- 
 ELECTioN as Governor. — A''isit of General Lafayette. — State 
 EoAD. — Completion of tub Canal. — Grand Celebration. 
 
 1. The Legislature assembled on the 2d of January, 
 
 1822. 
 
 182l'. Governor Clinton, in his address, after adverting 
 to the importance of protection to the domestic manufactures of 
 the State, congratulated the Legislature on the rapid progress 
 of the canals, and the prol)aliility of their early oom])lcti(ni, 
 
 Meeting of the Legislature. — Governor's address. 
 
212 SEVEyTH PERIOD. 
 
 and recommended various modifications of the civil and crim- 
 IukI laws. The two Houses then proceeded to apportion the 
 members of the Assembly among the respective counties, pre- 
 scribe the time and manner of appointing State and county 
 officers, and divide the State into thirty congressional dis- 
 tricts. 
 
 2. The new Constitution having provided that no lottery 
 should hereafter be authorized in the State, and directed that 
 the sale of tickets, except in lotteries already established by 
 law, should be prohibited, John B. Yates and Archibald Mc- 
 lutyre were appointed managers of the existing State lottery 
 for the provision of funds for the several colleges and academies 
 theretofore authorized by various legislative acts. This trust 
 was faithfully executed by these gentlemen, in accordance with 
 the spirit of the endowment ; and at its termination, within a 
 short time afterwards, this objectionable system of supporting 
 the litcrarj- institutions of the State, was abandoned. 
 
 3. The time for holding the general State elections having 
 been changed by the now Constitution from April to the first 
 week in November, Joseph C. Yates, of Schenectady, one of the 
 judges of the late Supreme Court, was elected Governor, and Gen- 
 eral Erastus Root, of Delaware, Lieutenant-Governor, with no 
 other opposition than that of Solomon Southwick, a self-nomi- 
 nated candidate for Governor, who received a few scattering 
 votes in different sections of the State. Both branches of the 
 Legislature were overwhelmingly Democratic. 
 
 4. This body met and organized on the 7th of January 
 of the ensuing year. Governor Yates transmitted a brief 
 message to the two Houses, recommending the early passage of 
 the various laws necessary to carry into effect the provisions 
 of the new Constitution, and suggesting improvements in the 
 penitentiary system of the State, and a general revision of the 
 statute laws. The new Supreme Court was organized by the 
 appointment of John Savage of Washington as Chief-Justice, 
 and Jacob Sutherland of Schoharie, and John Woodworth 
 
 Abolition of lotteries. — State literature lottery- — Election of Joseph C. 
 Yiifi'-i as Gnvcrnor, and Erastus Root, Lieutenant-Governor. — Democratic 
 majority in liotli llonses. — Mcetin<r of the Lcfrislature. — Appointment of 
 Chancellor, judges of the Supreme Court, and circuit judges. 
 
THE CONSTITUTION OF 1821. 213 
 
 of Albany, Justices. Nathax Saxfokd, of New York, was 
 appointed Chancellor, with circuit judges in the several judicial 
 districts. 
 
 5. On the 13th of February the Legislature, by joint ballot, 
 made choice of Johx Van Ness Yates, of Albanj-, as Secretary 
 of State and ex-ojficio Superintendent of Common Schools ; 
 William L. Maecy, of Rensselaer, Comptroller ; Samuel A. 
 Talcott, of Oneida, Attorney-General ; and Simeon De Witt, of 
 Albany, Surveyor-General. 
 
 G. At the fall elections the Democratic ora-anization through- 
 out the State was divided upon the question of the choice of 
 presidential electors by the people ; and a new party sprang 
 up, known as the " People's Party," which received a consider- 
 able accession of strength at the polls, and succeeded in carry- 
 ing several of the largest and most Democratic counties in the 
 State. 
 
 7. On the 6th of January, 1824, the Legislature again 
 convened, and Governor Yates, in his message, repeated his 
 recommendation for a general revision of the statutes of the 
 State, urged the importance of encouraging domestic manu- 
 factures by an increase of duties on foreign importations, and 
 called the attention of the Legislature to the subject of such a 
 change in the electoral law as would give to the people the 
 choice of presidential electors. A bill was accordingly intro- 
 duced at an early period in the Assembly, in accordance with 
 these views, but requiring that the persons so elected should 
 have received a majority of all the votes cast ; and in this 
 shape it passed the House by nearly a unanimous vote. In 
 the Senate, however, it was indefinitely postponed by a vote of 
 seventeen to fourteen. 
 
 8. On the last day of the session, and a short time previous 
 to its final adjournment, the Senate, on motion of Mr. Bowman, 
 of Monroe, passed a resolution for the removal of De Witt 
 Clinton from the office of Canal Commissioner, which was im- 
 mediately concurred in by the House by a large majority. 
 
 Electinn of State officer.'!. — Fall elections. — The " People's Party." 
 — Le^iijlative ])roceedings. — ilcssage of the Governor. — Choice of presi- 
 (li'iitial electors. — Defeat of the electoral law. — Komoval of Governor 
 Clinton as Canal Commissioner. 
 
21 4 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 This uujiistifiable procedure created an intense feeling of 
 popular indignation throughout the State, and, in conjunction 
 with the rejection of the electoral law, gave a powerful im- 
 petus to the People's party. Large and enthusiastic public 
 meetings were held in the principal cities of the State, denoun- 
 cing the action of the Legislature, and warmly approving the 
 high public services and character of Governor Clinton. 
 
 9. On the second day of June, Governor Yates issued a proc- 
 lamation convening an extra session of the Legislature on the 
 2d of August for the reconsideration of the subject of the 
 electoral law. A full attendance of the members of both Houses 
 was obtained ; and, after listening to the Governor's message, re- 
 citing his reasons for the call, Mr. Flagg, of Clinton, oifered a 
 resolution for an immediate adjournment, on the ground that 
 no necessity for special legislation at this time existed. The 
 House, after adopting a resolution in favor of the passage of the 
 electoral law, concurred in Mr. Flagg's motion, and, with the 
 assent of the Senate on the 6th, an adjournment to the first 
 Monday in November was carried. 
 
 10. At the November election, De Witt Clinton, previously 
 nominated by a State Convention at Utica, was re-elected 
 Governor, over Samuel Young, by a majority of nearly seventeen 
 thousand votes ; and General James Tallmadge, of Dutchess, 
 Lieutenant-Governor, over Genei-al Root, by a majority of up- 
 wards of thirty-two thousand, he having received the undivided 
 support of both the Democratic and People's party. The latter 
 party secured a majority of three fourths of the Assembly, and 
 elected six of the eight senators. Mr. Bowman, the mover of the 
 resolution for Governor Clinton's removal as Canal Commissioner, 
 was defeated by an overwhelming majority in the seventh district 
 by Mr. John C. Spencer. 
 
 11. On the 2d of November the two Houses assembled for 
 the choice of presidential electors. At this period five promi- 
 nent candidates for the Presidency were in the field, and public 
 opinion throughout the Union was divided on their respective 
 
 Intense puMic indiprnation. — Extra session of the Legislature. — Election 
 of Governor Clinton and Lieutenant-Governor Tallmadyc. — Triumph of the 
 People's party in the Lecrislatiire. — Defeat of Mr. Bowman in the seventh 
 district — Choice of presidential electors. — Candidates for the Presidency. 
 
GEyERAL LAFAYETTE'S VISIT. 215 
 
 claims to support. William H. Crawford, of Georgia, -was 
 the Democratio candidate, placed in nomination by the con- 
 gressional caucus. John Quixcy Adams, of Massaolmsetts, Sec- 
 retary of State of the United States, was the candidate of the 
 national administration. Henry Clay, of Kentucky, late 
 Speaker of the House of Kepresentatives ; General Andrew 
 Jackson, of Tennessee ; and John C. Calhoun, of South Caro- 
 lina, Secretary of War, — were respectively nominated by their 
 personal and political friends and admirers in difi'erent sections 
 of the Union. Mr. Calhoun's name was subsequently with- 
 drawn, and he became a candidate for Vice-President. On joint 
 ballot of the Senate and Assembly thirty-two electors in favor 
 of Mr. Adams and four in favor of Mr. Crawford were chosen. 
 
 12. On the 15th of August of this year, the illustrious La- 
 fayette, the companion-in-arms of Washington during the 
 Revolutionary struggle, arrived on our shores, in the ship Cad- 
 mus, by invitation of the United States Government, on a visit 
 to the country of his adoption, after an absence of forty years 
 and a brilliant but diversified career. He landed at Staten 
 Island, and remained as the guest of Vice-President Tompkins 
 until the next day, when he was escorted to the city of New 
 York by a large naval fleet. Landing at Castle Garden on the 
 Battery, amid the ringing of bells, the salutes of artillery, and 
 the shouts of the multitude, he was welcomed by the Corpora- 
 tion, conducted to the City Hall, and became the guest of the 
 city for several days, visiting the public institutions and holding 
 crowded levees of the citizens. 
 
 13. From New York he made a tour throiigh the principal 
 cities and villages of the Union, everywhere receiving magnifi- 
 cent ovations from a grateful people, welcomed by the President 
 and Congress, by governors and State legislatures, and civic 
 municipalities, and attended by vast crowds of citizens, until 
 September of the ensuing year, when he took his final departure 
 from New York, at the conclusion of a brilliant ovation at Castle 
 Garden, with the blessings of millions indebted to him, in great 
 part, for the rich inheritance of freedom bequeathed to them by 
 the Revolution. 
 
 Vi-it of General Lafayette to the United States. — His reception in 
 New York. 
 
216 SEVEXTH PERIOD. 
 
 14. The new Legislature convened on the 4th of Jan- 
 
 I8-''5. 
 
 uarv, 1825, and Governor Clinton, in his message, recom- 
 mended the passage of a law for the choice of presidential 
 electors by the people by a plurality of votes on a general 
 ticket, and the creation of a board of internal improvements, 
 for the completion and extension of the canal system and the 
 construction of a State road from the Hudson River to Lake 
 Erie, through the southern tier of counties. No choice of Presi- 
 dent having been made by the electoral colleges, General Jack- 
 son, Mr. Adams, and Mr. Crawford, the three candidates who 
 received the highest vote, were balloted for by the House of 
 Eepresentatives, in pursuance of the provisions of the Constitu- 
 tion. John Quixcy Adams, of Massachusetts, was duly elected 
 President ; and John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina, having re- 
 ceived a majority of electoral votes, was declared elected Vice- 
 President. 
 
 15. In accordance with the recommendation of the Governor, 
 and the memorial of a convention of prominent citizens of the 
 southern and western portions of the State, the Legislature at 
 this session passed an act for the appointment of three commis- 
 sioners to explore and cause to be surveyed a route for a State 
 road from the Hudson River to Lake Erie, through the southern 
 tier of counties. Nathaniel Pitcher of Washington, and Ja- 
 BEZ D. Hammond and George Morell of Otsego, were appointed 
 Commissioners under this act. 
 
 1 G. One of the earliest acts of President Adams, after his in- 
 auguration on the 4th of March, was to offer Governor Clinton 
 the post of Minister of the United States to Great Britain. This 
 offer was, however, respectfully declined, and Rufus King ap- 
 pointed to that station. During the summer. Governor Clinton 
 visited Philadelphia, where he met with a cordial and most grat- 
 ifying reception ; and soon afterwards, in company with Judge 
 Alfred Conkling, of Caj-uga, and several other distinguished 
 
 Jlectinp: of the Lcfrislaturc. — Governoi-'s message. — Election by the 
 Hou^e of Representatives of John Qiiiiicv Adams as President, and of 
 John C. Calho\m as Vice-President, by the electors. — Appointment of com- 
 missioners for snrvcy of State road through tlio southern tier of counties. 
 — Apiioiiument of Minister to England. — Tour of Governor Clinton 
 through Pennsylvania, Oliio, and Kentucky. 
 
THE CONSTITUTION OF 1821. 217 
 
 gentlemen, visited Ohio and Kentucky for the purpose of in- 
 specting the public works in progress in those States. He was 
 everywhere received on his route with the highest demonstra- 
 tions of respect. 
 
 1 7. The Erie axd Chajiplain Canal having, after eight years' 
 incessant labor, been completed, a gi'and and imposing celebra- 
 tion of the great event took place at the city of New York in 
 the fall of this year. On the morning of the 2Gth of October 
 the first flotilla of canal-boats left Buffalo, on Lake Erie, for 
 New York, where intelligence of its departure was, in an hour 
 and twenty minutes tliereafter, received by the discharge of 
 cannon posted at intervals on the entire route, and again com- 
 municated to Buffalo by the same signals. 
 
 18. On the an-ival of the fleet at Albanj', with the Governor, 
 Canal Commissioners, State officers, and distinguished citizens 
 from every part of the State, they were received by a vast 
 crowd and, amid the acclamations of the multitude, the roar of 
 artillery, and, the ringing of the bells of the citj', escorted to 
 the Capitol, where they were cordially welcomed by Phili^j 
 Hone, Zxlayor of the city of New York, in behalf of its citizens. 
 
 19. At five o'clock in the morning of the 4th of November, 
 the fleet, consisting of the Chancellor Livingston, — in which were 
 Governor Clinton and his party, — the Seneca Chief, the Young 
 Lion of the West, and a long line of canal packets, arrived at 
 New York, where they were met by the steamship Washington, 
 with a deputation from the Common Council, and conducted 
 around the Battery and up the East River to the Navy-Yard 
 opposite Brooklyn. Here, amid the ringing of bells and the 
 continued discharge of caunon, they were met by a grand naval 
 procession, consisting of nearly all the vessels in the harbor, 
 gayl}- festooned with the flags of all nations, and escorted to the 
 schooner Dolphin, moored at Sandy Hook. 
 
 20. Arrived at their destination, the Governor, the State and 
 city officers, and distinguished guests, entered the Dolphin ; and, 
 the convoy of vessels having formed an immense circle around 
 the schooner. Governor Clinton poured a keg of fresh water 
 from Lake Erie into the waves, thus signalizing the marriage of 
 
 Celebration at Albany and New York of the completion of the canal. — 
 Imposing ceremonies on the ocean. 
 
218 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 the inland seas ■with the Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Samuel L. Mitch- 
 ell then made an oblation into the same element of the waters 
 of the Ganges, the Indus, the Gambia, the Nile, the Thames, 
 the Seine, the Rhine, the Danube, the Mississippi, Columbia, 
 Orinoco, La Plata, and the Amazon, gatliered by him from every 
 quarter of the civilized world, in token of that commercial 
 reciprocity prefigured by this great and successful enterprise. 
 
 21. On their return to the city, they were met at the Battery 
 by an immense procession of four and a half miles in length, 
 numbering nearly seven thousand persons, which paraded the 
 principal streets with banners and music until a late hour, when 
 the city was brilliantly illuminated, and the festivities were 
 closed with a magnificent display of fireworks. Thus termi- 
 nated, without an accident to mar its success, the most gorgeous 
 and splendid celebration ever witnessed in the city. 
 
 22. The November elections terminated adversely to the 
 friends of Governor Clinton, by a small majority in the Assembly, 
 although a majority in the Senate still consisted of supporters 
 of his administration. The People's party were virtually dis- 
 banded, and the lines appeared to have been again drawn 
 between the Clintonians and the Democracy. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Third AnMixisxRATioy of Governor Clinton. — Common Schools. 
 — Abduction of Morgan. — Anti-Masonic Excitement. — Po- 
 litical Organizations. — Proscription of Masons. 
 
 1. The Legislature again met on the third day of January, 
 1826. Governor Clixton, in his message, urged the im- 
 portance of an improvement of the Common-School System 
 of the State by the establishment of seminaries for the special 
 preparation of teachers, and repeated his recommendation for 
 
 Gmnd procession, illumination, anil fireworks in New York. — The No- 
 vember elections. — Extinetion of the People's party. — Mcetin;;' of the Lefii.'?- 
 latnrc. — Mes-nL'e of the Governor. — The Commoh-School System. — Semi- 
 naries for the education of teachers. — State road. 
 
CLINTON'S THIRD ADMINISTRATION. 219 
 
 the construction of a State road through the southern tier of 
 counties. Nathan Sasford was elected United States Senator 
 in the place of Rufus King, and Samuel Jones appointed Chan- 
 cellor in place of ^Mr. Sanford. Azariah C. Flagg, of Clinton, 
 was appointed Secretary of State and Superintendent of Com- 
 mon Schools. 
 
 2. On the 4th of February, Mr. John C. Spencer, from 
 the Literature Committee of the Senate, to whom was referred 
 that portion of the Governor's message relating to the improve- 
 ment of the Common-School System, submitted an able report, 
 suggesting the expediency of a plan of county supervision, con- 
 ciuring with the recommendations of the Governor for the estab- 
 lishment of institutions for the training of teachers, and directing 
 the attention of the Legislature to the propriety of employing 
 the various academies of the State for that purpose, and ap- 
 propriating a specific portion of the public funds to the per- 
 formance of this duty. 
 
 3. Resolutions recommending an amendment of the Constitu- 
 tion, extending the right of suffrage and providing for the elec- 
 tion of Justices of the Pfeace by the people, in accordance with 
 the recommendations of the Governor, were introduced during 
 this session and passed both Houses. The bill for the construc- 
 tion of the State road through the southern counties, in accord- 
 ance with the report of the commissioners appointed for its ex- 
 ploration and survey, was defeated by a close vote in the As- 
 sembly. 
 
 4. During the summer of this year, William Morgan, a 
 Royal Arch Freemason, and a printer of Batavia, Genesee Co., 
 had determined on publishing a pamphlet purporting to reveal 
 the secrets of Masonry. His intentions having become known 
 to the society, on the 1 1th of September, a Mr. Cheesebrough, 
 Master of a Masonic lodge at Canandaigua, procured a warrant 
 at Batavia for his arrest for some petty theft, and conveyed him 
 to Canandaigua, where he was discharged for want of proof of 
 the alleged offence. He was then immediately rearrested for a 
 
 Election of United States Senator, .and appointment of Chancellor and 
 Secretary of State. — Report of John C. Spencer on the Common-School 
 System. — Resolutions for amendment of the Constitution. — Defeat of the 
 State Road Bill. 
 
220 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 debt of two dollars to one Ashley, which had been assigned to 
 Chcesebrough, judgment rendered, and execution instantly sworn 
 out by the latter, and Morgan committed to close confinement in 
 tl\e Canandaigua jail. 
 
 5. On the night of the 12th he was clandestinely taken from 
 the jail by a number of members of the Masonic fraternity, 
 thrown into a covered carriage, gagged, and conveyed, on the 
 evening of the Uth, to the Canada side of the Niagara River, 
 thence returned to the American shore, and confined in the mag- 
 azine of Fort Niagara, where he remained until the 29th, in 
 charge of Colonel King of Niagara, and one Elisha Adams, 
 when he disappeared, and was never afterwards seen, or his fate 
 discovered. A thorough investigation of the circumstances was 
 immediately commenced, the results of which will hereafter be 
 presented. 
 
 6. At the November election, Governor Clinton was re-elected 
 by a majority of between throe and four thousand votes, and 
 General Nathaniel Pitcher, of Washington County, elected 
 Lieutenant-Governor by about a similar vote, owing, in the 
 case of the latter, to the popular excitement growing out of the 
 State-road controversy in the southern counties. The Demo- 
 crats carried a large majority in both branches of the Legislature. 
 
 7. On the assembling of the Legislature in the ensuing 
 year. Governor Clinton, in his message, after congratulat- 
 ing that body on the adoption by the people, at the late elec- 
 tion, of the proposed amendments to the Constitution, removing 
 all restrictions, except citizenship and residence, from the right 
 of voting, and providing for the election by the people of 
 Justices of the Peace in the several towns, renewed his recom- 
 mendation for the construction of a State road from the Hud- 
 son Eiver to Lake Erie. 
 
 8. After stating that the balance due from the State for the 
 construction of the Erie and Champlain Canals was about eight 
 millions of dollars, and the annual income of those works, in 
 conjunction with the public funds set apart for their support, 
 
 Alxluction and probable inurder of William Morgan. — Re-election of 
 Governor Clinton and election of General Pitcher as Lieutenant-Governor. 
 — Democratic majority in the Legislature. — Governor's message. — The 
 canals. — State road. 
 
THE CONSTITUTION OF 1821. 221 
 
 more than one million, he urged the payment of the debt still 
 due at the earliest practicable period, and the investment of 
 the surplus funds of the State in otlier similar and auxiliary- 
 enterprises. 
 
 9. The number of common schools in the State was esti- 
 mated at eight thousand, with four hundred and thirty thousand 
 pupils, taught at an annual expenditure of two hundred thou- 
 sand dollars. The Governor, in connection with this topic, 
 recommended the elevation and extension of the system by the 
 establishment of institutions for the preparation of teachers, 
 periodical examinations, and small libraries to be attached to 
 the several schools. 
 
 10. The bill providing for the construction of a State road 
 through the southern tier of counties, in accordance with the 
 recommendation of the commissioners, was again defeated in the 
 Legislature, as was also the bill for the construction of a canal 
 from the Mohawk River at Utica to the Susquehanna at 
 Binghamton, through the valley of the Chenango. The income 
 from the Litci-ature Fund of the State, increased by the transfer 
 of other available funds, was directed to be apportioned among 
 the seVeral academies and colleges according to the number of 
 pupils pursuing the classical and higher English branches of study. 
 
 11. On the 17th of April the Legislature adjourned to the 
 second Tuesday of September, with a view to the contemplated 
 revision of the law, in pursuance of the report of the revisers, 
 ^lessrs. John- Duer, Benjamin F. Butler, and John C. Spencer, 
 the latter gentleman having been appointed in place of Mr. 
 Henrj- Wheaton, of New York, who had succeeded General Hoot, 
 originally nominated. The two Houses accordingly assembled 
 on the designated day, and remained in session nearly three 
 months, exclusively occupied in the special business for which 
 thej' were convened. 
 
 12. The November elections resulted in the complete triumph 
 of the Democratic friends of General J.a.ckson, who had now 
 entered the lists as a candidate for the Presidencj^ On the 16th 
 of November, Thomas Addis Emmett, the eminent New York 
 
 Common schools. — Chpnanfro Canal. — Literature Fund — Revision of 
 the laws. — Eesults of the November elections. — Death of Thomas Aildis 
 Emmett 
 
222 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 advocate, suddenly expired while engaged in the trial of an 
 impoi-tant cause. Suitable public honors were paid to his 
 memorj' throughout the State. 
 
 13. The excitement during the whole of the present year in 
 the western counties of the State, on the subject of the ab- 
 duction and probable murder of William Morgan, increased in 
 intensitj-, and began rapidly to assume a prominent political as 
 well as social importance. Immediately after the occurrence of 
 the event, public meetings were convened at Batavia and other 
 western cities and towns, and committees of prominent citizens 
 appointed, who entered upon a thorough and searching investi- 
 gation of all the circumstances connected with it. Ample 
 proofs were obtained of a daring and extensive conspiracy 
 among members of the Masonic fraternity for the commission 
 of a great crime, but beyond the facts of the abduction and 
 subsequent unlawful imprisonment of Morgan, no clew to his 
 fate was found. 
 
 14. Numerous arrests of parties implicated as principals and 
 agents of the conspiracy were made ; and, upon their own ad- 
 mission of guilt, several of the leading perpetrators were con- 
 victed and sentenced to a long imprisonment. Brucfe, the 
 Sheriif of Niagara County, was promptly removed by the 
 Governor ; hut, in the utter absence of proof of the death of 
 their unfortunate victim, no severer penalties could be inflicted. 
 Public sentiment ran violently against the Masonic institution, 
 whose oaths and obligations, it was supposed, countenanced and 
 encouraged the crime ; and its innocent as well as guilty 
 members were denounced as justifying and conniving at, if 
 not openly participating in, its commission. 
 
 15. At the annual town meetings in the spring, decided in- 
 dications were manifested of a disposition to carry the con- 
 troversy into the elections, and through the agency of the 
 ballot-box to give expression to the popular indignation against 
 the members of the Masonic fraternity and all those who en- 
 deavored to institute a discrimination between those of their 
 number who were actually concerned in, or openly justified, the 
 
 Anti-Masonic excitement. — Public meetings. — Arrests, trials, and 
 convictions. — Public indignation against Masons. — Political organiza- 
 tion. 
 
DEATH OF GOVERNOR CLINTON. 223 
 
 abduction and subseqnent imprisonment, and those who de- 
 no\inccd and repudiated these violent proceedings. 
 
 IG. An Auti-!Masonic party -n-as soon organized in all the 
 principal towns and cities of the West, whose principal object 
 was the exclusion from all official trusts of the adherents and 
 supporters of ilasomy ; and at the fall elections a majority 
 was obtained in several counties on this, without regard to any 
 otlier political issue. All Masons, without distinction of party, 
 were systematically proscribed, and the great mass of the elec- 
 tors in this section of the State speedily ranged themselves on 
 one side or the other of the new organization. 
 
 CHAPTEK III. 
 Death axd Character of Governor Clinton. — Administration op 
 
 LIECTESAST-GOVERNOR PlTCHER. — ThE MoRGAN CONSPIRACY. 
 
 Public Prosecutor. — Chenango and Chemung Canals. — Elec- 
 tion OF JIartin Van Buren as Governor. — Safety-Fund Banks. 
 — Uesignation of Governor Van Buren. — Succession of Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor Throop. — Death OP Governor Jay. 
 
 1. On the 1st of January, 1828, the Legislature again 
 convened. Governor Clinton, in his annual message, re- 
 newed his recommendation for the prosecution of the system of 
 internal improvements by the construction of the State road 
 and the Chenango and other lateral canals in different sections 
 of the State, adverted to its prominent agriciiltural interests, 
 and again urged suitable legislation for the improvement of the 
 common schools and the preparation of qualified teachers, 
 through the agency of seminaries to be established for that 
 special purpose. 
 
 2. In the midst of the session the melancholy intelligence 
 was received of the sudden death of Governor Clinton, while 
 sitting in his chair and conversing with two of his sons, at his 
 
 Anti-Masonic party. — Meeting of the Legislature. — Governor's mes- 
 san-e. — Death of Governor Clinton, 
 
224 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 residence, on the evening of the 1 1th of February. The shock 
 produced by this unexpected and painful event was deeply and 
 universally felt throughout the State and nation. In the 
 Legislature, the principal cities and towns of the State, and at 
 the national Capital, the most imposing demonstrations of sorrow 
 and grief were evinced, without distinction of party. All men 
 felt that a great statesman and a good man had departed from 
 the scene of his usefulness, in the maturity of his powers and 
 the fulness of his fame. 
 
 3. For more than thirty years Governor Clinton had occu- 
 pied a prominent and commanding position as a public officer. 
 As private secretai-y to his uncle, George Clinton, as Mayor of 
 the city of New York, as United States and State Senator, 
 Canal Commissioner, and Governor, he had left the impress of 
 his intellectual ability and moral greatness on all the leading 
 interests of the State and nation. The Erie Canal was the 
 crowning triumph of his active and energetic career ; but the 
 cause of common-school cdvication, the agricultural, manufactur- 
 ing, and commercial interests of the State, and its political su- 
 premacy as the most important member of the Union, were all 
 identified with his long administration of its affairs. 
 
 4. His ambition was not of that vulgar order which seeks 
 only success and the possession of station and power, and 
 shrinks from encountering popular obloquy, discouraging cir- 
 cumstances, and imbittered persecution, in the pursuit of the 
 right. No man saw clearer the path of public duty, or more 
 fully appreciated the means and ends of the great enterprises 
 which presented themselves to his comprehensive mind. No 
 opposition deterred him, no sacrifices or labors were deemed too 
 great, no political or personal hostility for a moment swayed 
 him from his onward course, and no disappointments or dis- 
 couragements influenced his steady and stately progress. In 
 all the long and varied annals of the Empire State, no greater 
 or more illustrious name than that of De Witt Clinton has yet 
 been foimd. 
 
 5. On the death of Governor Clinton, Lieutenant-Governor 
 Pitcher assumed the administration of the executive depart- 
 
 Proceedincrs of public bodies. — Character of Governor Clinton. — Suc- 
 cession of Lieutenant-Governor Pitcher. 
 
THE CONSTITUTION OF 1821. 225 
 
 ment for the remainder of the term. In his first message to 
 the Legislature he recommended the appointment of a special 
 Public Prosecutor for the detection and punishment of the per- 
 petrators of the outrage on William Morgan. Daniel Mosely, 
 of Onondaga, -n-as accordingly appointed for this purpose, and 
 entered at once upon the active discharge of its duties. The 
 bills for the construction of the Chenango and Chemung Canals, 
 after passing the Assembly, were again defeated in the Senate. 
 
 G. An act was passed for the organization, in the city of 
 Xew York, of a Superior Court of Common Pleas for the trial 
 of civil actions, Chancellor Joxes being appointed Chief-Justice, 
 and JosiAH Ogden Hoffhan and Thomas J. Oakley Associate 
 Justices. 
 
 7. The political contest for State offices and the Presidency 
 was now actively commenced between the friends of the two 
 rival candidates, — John Quinoy Adams and Andrew Jackson. 
 A third element had also taken the field in the interest of the 
 Anti-Masonic organization, which had already assumed a promi- 
 nent importance in the State. The candidates of the Adams 
 party were, for Governor of New York, Smith Thompson, Associ- 
 ate Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States, and 
 Francis Granger, of Ontario, for Lieutenant-Governor ; Mar- 
 tin Van Buren, of Columbia, United States Senator, and Enos 
 T. Throop, of Cayuga, one of the circuit judges, were the Jack- 
 son candidates, and Solomon Southwick, of Albany, and John 
 Crary, of Washington, the Anti-Masonic candidates for those offi- 
 ces respectively. 
 
 8. After an excited and animated contest, Martin Van Bdren 
 was elected Governor and Enos T. Throop Lieutenant-Governor 
 at the November elections, by a plurality of about thirty thou- 
 sand votes over Thompson and Granger, the Anti-Masonic can- 
 didates receiving upwards of thirty-three thousand votes. The 
 Legislature was about equally divided between the friends of 
 Adams and Jackson respectively, with a liberal infusion of the 
 
 Appointment of Public Prosecutor of the Morj^an outrage. — Defeat of the 
 Chenanpro and Chemung Canals. — Superior Court in the city of New York 
 — Ajipointments of judpres. — Presidential eampaifrn of 1828. — Nomina- 
 tions for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. — Election of Governor Van 
 Buren, Lieutenant-Governor Throop, and President Jackson. 
 
226 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 Anti-Masonic element. Twenty electors in favor of General 
 Jacksox and sixteen in favor of Mr. Adams were chosen. Gen- 
 eral Andrew Jacksox, of Tennessee, was elected President, and 
 JoHX C. Caldoux, of South Carolina, Vice-President, by an im- 
 mense majority in the electoral colleges over Mr. Adams and 
 liiCHARD PiUSH, of Pennsylvania. 
 
 9. During the year many secessions from the Masonic fra- 
 ternity occun-ed, and numerous revelations of its mysteries were 
 made, strengthening the force and augmenting the numbers of 
 the opponents of the institution. Its complete overthrow was 
 now aimed at, and conventions for the organization of a plan of 
 operations for the accomplishment of this object were held at 
 Lewiston, Le Roy, Utica, and other places. At the general 
 elections in 1827 and 1828, several of the western counties 
 were carried by overwhelming majorities, and the public excite- 
 ment continued to increase. 
 
 10. On the meeting of the Legislature at the com- 
 
 1829. 
 
 mencement of the ensuing year. Governor Van Bdren, 
 in his message, recommended the application of the surplus funds 
 of the State and a judicious use of its credit to the extension 
 of the system of internal improvements, the establishment of a 
 safety -fund for the ultimate redemption of the notes of the 
 several banks of the State, the choice of presidential electors 
 by general ticket, and the promotion of the interests of general 
 education. 
 
 11. The bill for the establishment of a safety-fmid banking 
 system, in accordance with the Governor's recommendation and 
 a plan submitted by Joshua Forman, of Onondaga, became a 
 law, and thirty-one banks, exclusive of those in the city of 
 New York, were rechartered under its provisions. Charles E. 
 Dudley, of Albany, was appointed United States Senator to fill 
 tlie vacancy occasioned by the election of Governor Van Buren ; 
 Greexe C. Broxson, of Oneida, was appointed Attorney-General ; 
 Silas Wright, Jr., of St. Lawrence, Comptroller, and John C. 
 Spexcer, of Ontario, Public Prosecutor of the Morgan outrage, 
 
 Projrrcss of the Anti-JIasonic excitement. — Meetinj; of the Lcp^islature. 
 — Governor's message. — Internal improvements. — Safety-funtl law and 
 renewal of bank charters. — Appointment of State officers. — Fresidential 
 electors to be chosen by genera) ticket. 
 
)'^-V BUREN'S ADMINISTRATION. 227 
 
 in place of Judge Mosely. Presidential electors were directed 
 hereafter to be chosen by general ticket, instead of by districts, 
 as heretofore. 
 
 12. Governor Yax Burex, having immediately, on the inau- 
 guration of President Jackson, received the appointment of 
 Secretarj' of State of the United States, on the 12th of March 
 tendered his resignation as Governor ; the duties of which office 
 now- devolved on Lieutenant-Governor Throop. The bill for the 
 construction of the CnEXANGO Caxal was passed in a modified 
 form, subject to a resurvey of the route by the Canal Com- 
 missioners, and theii' report to the next Legislature that the 
 cost of the work would not exceed $1,000,000, and that within 
 ten years thereafter its receipts would annually exceed its ex- 
 penditures. The Chemung Canal Bill also became a law. 
 The Legislature adjourned on the 5th of May. 
 
 13. On the 17th of May the venerable John Jay expired at 
 his residence in Westchester County, at the advanced age of 
 eightj'-three j'ears. Having successively filled the offices of 
 Chief-Justice of New York and of the United States, Minister 
 to England, and Governor of the State, he had achieved a high 
 reputation as a statesman, diplomatist, and jurist, and appropri- 
 ate marks of respect were paid to his memory by the various 
 judicial and civil tribunals of the State. 
 
 14. The November elections resulted in a very large majority, 
 in both branches of the Legislature, of the Democratic friends 
 of President Jackson. The Anti-Masonic party was now re- 
 stricted chiefly to the western coimties comprised within the 
 Seventh and Eighth Senatorial Districts. They carried fifteen 
 counties — about one fourth of the whole number — and polled 
 sixty-seven thousand votes. No new developments were, how- 
 ever, made of the Morgan conspiracy, notwithstanding the spe- 
 cial investigation instituted by the Legislature, and which was 
 still in progress. 
 
 Governor Van Buren appointed Secretary of State. — His resignation as 
 Governor. — Succession of Lieutenant-Governor Throop. — Passage of the 
 Chenango and Chemung Canal Bills. — Death of Governor John Jay. — 
 Result of the November elections. 
 
228 SEVEXTB PERIOD. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Election axd Administration op Govebxor Ends T. Tiiboop. — 
 CiiENAN-GO Caxal. — Pkogkess OF THE Anti-Masonic Party. — 
 'ts Final Extinction and Results. — Election of Governor 
 Makcy and Lieutenant-Governor Tracy. 
 
 1. Ox the first Tuesday in Januar}', 18.30, the Legislature re- 
 
 assembled. Govenior Tunoop's message was principally 
 devoted to a general exposition of the financial condition 
 and literary and charitable institutions of the State. 
 
 2. The Canal Commissioners, on the 21st of January, trans- 
 mitted a report to the Legislature, setting forth, that, after an 
 additional survey and exploration of the route of the contem- 
 plated Chexaxgo Caxal, they had arrived at the conclusion 
 that its cost would exceed a million of dollars, and that the 
 probable annual receipts from its tolls, in connection with the 
 increased tolls on the Erie Canal, would not defray the interest 
 upon its cost and the expenses of repairs and superintendence, 
 or either of them. They therefore declined to proceed further 
 in its construction. 
 
 3. This was accompanied by a report from Comptroller Wright, 
 showing the inexpediency of appropriating any additional funds 
 to the construction of public works, without specific provision 
 for their expense. Notwithstanding these unfavorable auguries, 
 another bill for the construction of the canal was introduced, 
 and vigorously supported by Mr. Granger and other leading 
 members of the House, but failed to become a law. 
 
 4. The representatives of the Anti-Masonic party held a State 
 Convention at Utica in August, at which Francis Granger, of 
 Ontario, was placed in nomination for Governor, and Samuel 
 Stevens, of Albany, for Lieutenant-Governor. Forty-eight 
 counties were represented by one hundred and four delegates. 
 On tlie 8th of September, Exos T. Throop was nominated by the 
 Democrats at Herkimer for Governor, and Edward P. Living- 
 
 Jleetinn; of the Legisliituve. — Governor's message. — Report of Canal 
 Commis.sioners on the Chenango Canal. — Defeat of the bill. — Political 
 nominations. 
 
THE CONSTirUTloy OF 1821. 229 
 
 STON, of Columbia, for Lieutenant-Governor. No other candidates 
 were in the field. Governor Throop and Lieutenant-Governor 
 Livingston received a majoiity of eight thousand votes over the 
 Anti-Masonic candidates, whose aggi-egate strength at the Novem- 
 ber election was over one hundred and twenty thousand votes. 
 
 5. Jlr. John C. Spencer, who had been appointed Public 
 Prosecutor of the Morgan conspiracy by the Governor, had en- 
 tered upon the discharge of his duties with his accustomed zeal 
 and energy, and prosecuted his inquiries with indefatigable in- 
 dustry and gi-eat ability. So successful were his exertions in 
 tracing the tangled web of this mysterious affair, that he con- 
 ceived it within his power to effect a complete exposure of 
 the perpetrators of the crime, with the assistance of additional 
 funds from the State derived from the rewards heretofore of- 
 fered for the detection. 
 
 G. These funds were, however, refused ; and the Legislature, 
 apprehensive, as was contended, of the political effect of the 
 disclosures already made and transmitted to that bodj^ by Mr. 
 Spencer, not only refused to authorize any additional expenditure, 
 but cut down his own salary to one thousand dollars. Deeming 
 this an intentional insult, not only to himself but to the gi'eat 
 body of Anti-Masons in the State, he at once transmitted his re- 
 signation, with the allegation that, so far from having received any 
 effective aid from the Executive, his confidential communications 
 had been disclosed by the Governor to the counsel for the con- 
 spirators. These facts served powerfully to strengthen the Anti- 
 Masonic party as a political organization throughoiit the State. 
 
 7. At the opening of the session in January, 1831, 
 Governor Throop's message consisted of a general reca- 
 pitulation of the subjects heretofore presented by him, with an 
 additional recommendation for the abolition of imprisonment for 
 debt. William L. Marcy, one of the justices of the Supreme 
 Court, was appointed in February United States Senator in 
 place of Nathan Sanford, whose term had expired, and Samuel 
 Nelson, of Cortland, a Judge of the Supreme Court. 
 
 Election of Governor Throop and Lieutenant-Governor Livingston. — 
 Strenjjth of parties. — Proceedinffs of the Puhlic Prosecutor. — Rcsip-na- 
 tion of Mr. Spencer. — The Legislature. — Governor's message. — Appoint- 
 ments of United States Senator and Judge of the Supreme Court. 
 
230 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 8. Joint resolutions against the renewal of the charter of the 
 United States Bank were reported and adopted by both Houses, 
 and a bill for the construction of the Chenango Canal again pre- 
 sented and defeated. The Legislature finally adjourned on the 
 20th of April. Soon afterwards Mr. Van Buben was appointed, 
 by the President, Minister to England, to which post he repaired, 
 after resigning his position in the Cabinet. 
 
 9. In May Josas Earl, of Onondaga, was appointed Canal 
 Commissioner, in place of Henry Seymour, resigned. On the 
 4tli of July, Ex-President James Monroe died at New York, 
 making the third of these venerable chief magistrates who had 
 expired on the anniversary of the day which gave birth to the 
 nation. 
 
 10. The November elections terminated in favor of the Demo- 
 crats in all the districts except the Eighth, and in the return 
 of a large Democratic majority in both branches of the Legis- 
 lature. The Anti-Masons elected thirty members in the Assem- 
 bly, and the National Republicans, or supporters of Henry Clay 
 for President, at the ensuing election, against General Jackson, 
 sis. The residue were Jacksonian Democrats. William Wirt 
 of Maryland, late Attorney-General of the United States, had 
 been placed in nomination by the Anti-Masonic party as their 
 candidate for the Presidency in 1832, and Amos Ellmaker, of 
 Pennsylvania, as Vice-President. Mr. Clay was nominated by 
 the National Ecpublicans, with John Saegeant, of Pennsyl- 
 vania, for Vice-President. 
 
 11. On the assembling of the Legislature at the opening 
 of the succeeding year the message of Governor Throop 
 presented the usual topics of information and suggestion to the 
 Legislature. A proposition for a State tax of one mill on the 
 dollar, recommended by the Governor and Comptroller, was, 
 after full discussion, rejected, as was also another bill for the 
 construction of the Chenango Canal. 
 
 12. On the 21st of June, Francis Granger and Samuel 
 
 Renewal of the United States Bank charter. — Defeat of Chenango Canal 
 Bill. — JIini=ter to Enjrland. — Appointment of Canal Commissioner. — 
 Death of Ex-President Monroe. — Result of the elections. — Nomination of 
 candidates for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency. — Legislature of 1832. 
 — Rejection of the bill for a State tax and for the Chenango Canal. 
 
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS. 231 
 
 Stevens -were renominated, by the Anti-Masonic Convention at 
 Utica, for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor, with an electoral 
 ticket headed by James Kent and John C. Spencer. This 
 ticket was adopted by the National Republican State Conven- 
 tion at the same place, held on the 26th of July. The Demo- 
 cratic Convention at Herkimer placed in nomination William 
 L. Maecy for Governor, and John Tracy, of Chenango, for 
 Lieutenant-Governor ; and an electoral ticket in favor of An- 
 drew Jackson for President, and Martin Van Buren, whose 
 nomination as Minister to England had been rejected by the 
 United States Senate, as Vice-President. 
 
 13. The triumph of this party at the November elections was 
 complete. The western counties gave their usual majorities for 
 the Anti-Masonic candidates, but the Democrats carried the 
 State by thirteen thousand majority, and with it both branches 
 of the Legislature. General Jackson and Mr. Van Buren were 
 elected President and Vice-President by a large majority of the 
 electoral votes, the former receiving 219 and the latter 189 
 votes, against 67 for Mr. Claj', 11 for John Floj'd of Virginia, 
 7 (Vermont) for Mr. Wirt, 49 for Mr. Sergeant, 30 for William 
 AVilkins of Pennsylvania, 11 for Henry Lee of Massachusetts, 
 and 7 for Mr. Ellmaker. 
 
 14. This contest virtually terminated the existence, as a 
 political, national, and State party, of Anti-Masonry. In the 
 district of its origin it continued for several years to elect its 
 Senators and Representatives in the Legislature, but soon be- 
 came merged in the other political organizations of the period. 
 It had accomplished its mission in the almost total exclusion of 
 Masons from public office wherever it had obtained an ascen- 
 dency. It had asserted and gallantly maintained the great 
 principle of personal inviolability to the humblest citizen, and 
 although it failed in fastening upon any one or any number 
 of men the perpetration of the crime of deliberate murder, it 
 left upon the public mind the assured conviction of the fact, by 
 a combination too powerful and extensive to be reached. 
 
 Nominations for Governor and Lieutenant-Governor. — Election of Marcy 
 and Tracy. — Democratic triumph at the presidential election. — Jackson 
 and Van Buren elected President and Vice-President. — Termination of 
 political Anti-JIasonry. — Results of the Anti-Masonic organization. 
 
232 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 15. Nor did it succeed in its efforts to destroy and root out 
 the institution of Masonry, or convince the majority of reflecting 
 people that anj-thing in its organization or obligations justified 
 the crime of murder or abduction, however some of its unwor- 
 thy members may have construed those obligations. Masonry, 
 though bending for a time before the blast in its fury, soon 
 regained its original power and influence ; and its opponents, 
 among whom were many of the ablest and best men in the 
 State, abandoning their warfare against an institution, devoted 
 tliemselves to a higher and wider ambition, and have left their 
 impress upon the coiincils of the State and nation. 
 
 Hevival of Masoniy. 
 
Crotou Aqueduct. The Dam. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Admixistratiom of Governor Marct. — Internal Improvements. — 
 Common Schools. — Chenango Canal. — Enlargement op the 
 Erie Canal. — Financial Embarrassments. — Canadian Insur- 
 rkction. — Great Fire in New York. — Croton Aqueduct and 
 High Bridge. 
 
 1833. 
 
 1. Governor ]\Iarcy, in his first message to the Legis- 
 hatiire in January, 1833, reviewed the general policy of the 
 State in reference to all its leading interests, recommending a 
 jiidicious prosecution of the system of internal improvements, 
 the improvement and advancement of the common schools and 
 otlier educational institutions, and the preservation of pubhc 
 and private credit by an economical expenditure of the public 
 funds, and a wise restriction of extended banking facilities and 
 improvident speculations. 
 
 2. Silas Wright, Jr., of St. Lawrence, was chosen United 
 States Senator to supply the vacancy occasioned by the rcsig- 
 
 Lcgislative proceedings. — Governor's message. — United States Senators. 
 
234 COMMON SCHOOLS AND CANAL ENLARGEMENT. 
 
 nation of Governor Marcy ; and Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, of 
 Dutchess, in place of ilr. Dudlej', whose term had expired ; Mr. 
 Flagg promoted to the office of Comptroller; and General John 
 ^\. Dix to that of Secretary of State and Superintendent of Com- 
 mon Schools ; and Michael Hoffman, of Herkimer, was ap- 
 pointed an additional Canal Commissioner. 
 
 3. From the annual report of the Superintendent it appeared 
 that the number of common schools in the State had increased 
 to nine thousand six hundred, in which about five hundred thou- 
 sand children were taught during the preceding year. After 
 chartering a few additional banks, passing an act for the con- 
 struction of the Chenango Canal, and transacting the ordinary 
 business of the session, the Legislature adjourned. The Novem- 
 ber elections resulted in another decided triumph of the Demo- 
 cratic party. 
 
 4. During the summer of 1834 the opponents of the na- 
 tional and State administrations, now known as the Whig 
 
 party, placed in nomination at the Utica Convention William H. 
 Seward, of Cayuga, for Governor, and Silas M. Stilwell, of New 
 York, for Lieutenant-Governor. The Herkimer Convention re- 
 nominated Governor Maecy and Lieutenant-Governor Tract, 
 who were re-elected in November, with a large Democratic 
 majority in both branches of the Legislature, by about eleven 
 thousand majority. 
 
 5. The Legislature of 1835 assembled in January. Gov- 
 ernor Marcy, in his message, recommended the enlargement 
 
 of the Erie Canal, and the suppression of all bank-notes under the 
 denomination of five dollars, both which measures were adopted 
 by the Legislature by a strong vote. He also earnestly insisted 
 upon the importance of securing, by means of the common 
 schools, such an education of all classes and conditions of our 
 future citizens as should qualify them for usefulness and virtue. 
 6. The removal by the Secretary of the Treasury of the 
 United States, under the direction of President Jackson, of the 
 
 State officers. — United States Senators. — Canal Commissioner. — Com- 
 mon Schools. — Xovcmbcr elections. — Democratic triumph. — Legislative 
 procecdinjis. — Political nominations. — Re-election of Governor Marcy and 
 Lieutenant-Governor Tracy. — Democratic majorities. — Governor's mes- 
 sage. — Enlargement of the Erie Canal. — Small bills. 
 
STATE BANKS. — COMMON SCHOOLS. 235 
 
 government deposits of money from the United States Bank, 
 whose charter was about expiring, to the State Banks, and the 
 consequent contraction of the circulation and discounts of that 
 institution, and collection of its debts, resulted in serious em- 
 baiTassment to the commercial interests of the State, involving 
 the imminent danger of the suspension of its principal banks. 
 To avert this danger, the Legislature, on the 2 2d of March, 
 passed an act, on the recommendation of the Governor, tender- 
 ing the loan of the credit of the State to the amount of five 
 millions of dollars to the banks, should such relief become, in 
 their judgment, necessary. 
 
 7. The Bank of the United States, however, soon adopted a 
 change of policy, from the contraction to the extension of its 
 issues, which not only rendered any assistance from the State 
 unnecessary, but so rapidly filled the channels of circulation as 
 to induce the creation of a large number of additional banks, 
 and an extensive spirit of speculation in their stocks and in real 
 estate .and commercial transactions generally. A period of un- 
 exampled prosperity in nearly all branches of trade and industry 
 stimulated to the highest extent this spirit, which speedily per- 
 vaded every department of business. 
 
 8. On the 8th of January of this year, General Dix, as Chair- 
 man of a Committee of the Regents of the University, submitted 
 an elaborate and able report, recommending the establishment 
 and organization of departments for the education of common- 
 school teachers in one of the academies in each of the eight 
 senatorial districts, to be selected for that purpose by the 
 Regents. This report was adopted, and carried into immediate 
 effect by that body. On the 13th of April the Legislature 
 passed an act authorizing the purchase of District Libraries 
 in the several school districts of the State, — a measure originat- 
 ing with James AVadsworth, of Geneseo, Livingston County, and 
 vigorously supported by Secretaries Flagg and Dix, and Sena- 
 tors Young, of Saratoga, and Levi Beardsley, of Otsego. 
 
 Effect of the removal of government deposits from the United States 
 Bank. — Loan of the credit of the State to the banks. — Commercial rovul- 
 .sion. — Increase of charters. — General spirit of speculation. — Unexampled 
 business prosperity. — Academical departments for the education of teachers. 
 — Common-school libraries. 
 
236 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 9. Early in the session, Dr. William Campbell, of Otsego, 
 ■n"as .appointed Surveyor-General, to fill the vacancy occasioned 
 by the death of the venerable Simeon Db Witt, who for the 
 past fift}' years had occupied this position, through all the vicis- 
 situdes of partj- strife. Dm-ing the recess of the Legislature, 
 John Bowm.vx, of Monroe, was appointed Canal Commissioner, 
 and EsEK Cowex, of Saratoga, a judge of the Supreme Court, in 
 place of Judge Sutherland, resigned. The November elections 
 resulted, as usual, in the complete success of the Democrats in 
 both branches of the Legislature. 
 
 10. In the summer of this year the construction of the Cro- 
 TON Aqueduct was commenced, at the distance of forty miles 
 from the city of New York, whence the waters of the Croton 
 Eiver, in Westchester County, about five miles from the Hud- 
 son, were collected by means of a dam thrown across the stream, 
 creating an immense pond, five miles in length, covering an area 
 of foui- hundred acres, and containing 500,000,000 gallons of 
 water. From this dam the groat aqueduct was cut through 
 solid rocks, across valleys and hills, by embankments and cul- 
 verts, until it reached the Harlem River, which it crossed by 
 the maguificeut High Bridge, a stone structure, 1,450 feet long, 
 with fourteen immense piers, 114 feet above tide- water, and 
 costing 8 900,000. 
 
 11. From this bridge, at the foot of One Hundred and Sev- 
 enty-Fom-th Street, the aqueduct extended to the receiving 
 reservoir, at the corner of Eighty-Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue, 
 covering thirty-five acres, and containing 150,000,000 gallons, 
 whence, through a distributing reservoir between Fortieth and 
 Forty-Second Street, of 21,000,000 gallons, the water was con- 
 ducted by iron pipes to every portion of the city. 
 
 1 2. On the night of the 1 6th of December, one of the coldest 
 known for half a century, a terrible and extensive conflagration 
 occurred in the lower portion of the city of New York, raging 
 for three days with intense fierceness, and consuming six hun- 
 dred and forty-eight houses and stores, with a loss amounting 
 
 Death of Simeon De Witt. — Appointment of Surveyor-General. — Judge 
 of the Supreme Court and Canal Commissioner. — Result of the cleetions. 
 — Construction of the Croton Aqueduct. — The High Bridge. — Great fire 
 in New York. 
 
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR MARCY. 237 
 
 to eighteen millions of doUars, chiefly in Wall Street and the 
 adjacent neighborhood, including the large marble Exchange 
 Building and the South Dutch Church. The several insurance 
 companies of the city were compelled to suspend payment, from 
 the excessive magnitude of the losses. 
 
 13. On the 5th of January, 1836, the Legislature again 
 assembled. Governor Marct, in his message, cautioned 
 
 the Legislature against the further prosecution of internal im- 
 provements without the provision of specific funds for the pay- 
 ment of the interest of their cost. BUls were, however, passed 
 during the session for the construction of the Black Eiver and 
 Genesee Canais, and for the loan of three millions of dollars to 
 aid in the construction of the New York and Ebie Kailboad, 
 through the southern tier of counties. 
 
 14. Chief- Justice Savage having resigned his position on the 
 bench of the Supreme Court, Samuel Nelson was appointed to 
 that position, and Greene C. Bbonson, Associate Judge. Samdel 
 Beardslet, of Oneida, succeeded the latter as Attomey-GeneraL 
 "William Baker, of Otsego, late Speaker, was appointed an ad- 
 ditional Canal Commissioner. 
 
 15. Previous to the adjournment of the Legislature, resolu- 
 tions for the expulsion of Senators Kemble and Bishop, on 
 charges of fraudulent speculations in the stock of banks chartered 
 during the session, were reported by a committee of the Senate 
 charged with their investigation. The passage of the resolu- 
 tions was, however, anticipated by the resignation of the two 
 Senators, followed by that of Colonel Young and Senator Van 
 ScHAiCK, who felt indignant at the lenity exhibited in their be- 
 half by the refusal of the Senate to expel the offenders. 
 
 16. Jesse Buel, of Albany, and Gamaliel H. Barstow, of 
 Tioga, were nominated by the Whig Convention at Utica for 
 Governor and Lieutenant-Governor, at the ensuing election, 
 against Governor Marct and Lieutenant-Governor Tracy, who 
 were again placed in nomination by the Democratic Convention 
 at Herkimer, and re-elected, with a Van Buren electoral ticket, 
 
 Black River and Genesee Canals. — New York and Erie Railroad. — 
 Chief Justice and Judge of the Supreme Court. — Attorney-General. — 
 Proceedings against Senators Kemble and Bishop. — Re-election of Gov- 
 ernor Marcy and Lieutenant-Governor Tracy. 
 
238 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 by upwards of twenty-nine thousand majority, with a large 
 majority in both branches of the Legislature. Mabtin Van 
 BuEEN was elected President, and Colonel Richabd M. John- 
 son, of Kentucky, Vice-President, of the United States, by a 
 majority of one hundi'ed and three electoral votes over Gen- 
 eral William H. Hareison, of Ohio, and Francis Granger, of 
 New York. 
 
 17. At the opening of the session in 1837, Governor 
 Marcy again invoked the attention of the Legislature to 
 the subject of common-school education, in connection with the 
 act of Congress of the preceding year, authorizing the deposit 
 with the several States of the surplus revenue of the United 
 States. He recommended the appropriation, from the annual in- 
 come of this fund, of an amount equal to that now apportioned 
 by the State for the support of the schools, a liberal sum for 
 the various academies, especially those in which departments 
 for the education of teachers had been established, and the 
 addition of the residue to the capital of the common-school 
 fimd. 
 
 18. Silas "Weight, Jr., was re-elected to the Senate of the 
 United States. A few days previous to the adjournment of 
 the Legislature, information was received of the suspension of 
 specie payments by the banks of New York and the country 
 generally, produced by the unusual inflation of the currency, 
 the immense importation of foreign merchandise, — calling for a 
 heavy demand of specie to meet the balance of exchange, — the 
 requisitions of the United States Government for the payment 
 of specie or its equivalent in treasury notes in the purchase of 
 the public lands, and the withdrawal of the surplus revenues 
 of the United States from the State banks for deposit with 
 the several States, in accordance with the recent Act of Con- 
 gress. 
 
 19. A bUl was immediately introduced and passed by both 
 Houses, suspending for one year the provisions of the Safety 
 Fund Act, requiring the appointment of receivers, and the 
 
 Democratic triumph. — Election of President Van Buren and Vice-Presi- 
 dent E. M. Johnson. — Message of the Governor. — United States Deposit 
 Fund. — Becommendation for its investment. — United States Senator. — 
 General suspension of the State banks. — Proceedings of the Legislature. 
 
UXITED STATES DEPOSIT FUND. 239 
 
 closing up of the banks ; and a strong effort was made to suspend 
 for the same time the operation of the act prohibiting the issue 
 of bills under the denomination of five dollars, which, however, 
 proved ineffectual. The effect of this disastrous state of things 
 was highly unfavorable to the Democratic party, who were, on 
 all sides, held responsible for its occurrence. 
 
 20. Diu-ing the month of March of this year, Ex-Governor 
 Yates expired at his residence in Schenectady ; and in January 
 previous, the death of the venerable Abraham Van Vechten, 
 formerly Attorney-General, occurred from an attack of paralysis. 
 Appropriate legislative, judicial, and municipal honors were 
 paid to the memory of these distinguished public servants and 
 estimable men. At the November elections the Whigs suc- 
 ceeded in electing one hundred and one out of the one hun- 
 dred and twenty-eight members of the House, and in carrying 
 six of the eight senatorial districts, and obtaining majorities in 
 nearly every county of the State. The Senate, however, still 
 retained a small Democratic majority. 
 
 21. Towards the close of this year, a formidable insurrection 
 on the Canada border occurred, headed by William Lyon Mac- 
 kenzie and Joseph J. Papineau, which created great excitement 
 on the northern frontier of the State, and involved several of 
 its citizens in an unauthorized invasion of a portion of the 
 territories of Great Britain. It had its origin in some popu- 
 lar discontents in both provinces, which speedily evoked the 
 sympathies of their neighbors on the American shore of the 
 Niagara River, forming the boundary between Upper Canada 
 and the United States. 
 
 22. About the middle of December a party of Americans, 
 headed by Rensselaer Van Rensselaer, a son of General Solomon 
 Van Rensselaer, of Albany, and accompanied by Mackenzie, 
 took possession of Navy Island, situated in the Niagara River 
 about two miles above the Falls, and belonging to Canada. 
 They numbered about seven hundred men, well provisioned, 
 and provided with twenty pieces of cannon. The steamboat 
 
 Whig trininph in New York and Albany. — Death of Abraham Van 
 Vechten and Ex-Governor Yates. — Results of the November elections. — 
 Overwhelming success of the Whigs. — Canadian insurrection. — Navy 
 Island. 
 
2i0 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 Caroline was brought from Buifalo to ply as a ferry-boat be- 
 tween the island and Schlosser's Landing, on the American 
 shore. 
 
 23. On the night of the 29th of December, an armed party 
 of royalists from the Canada shore, under the command of 
 Colonel McNabb, crossed over and boarded the boat while its 
 unarmed occupants were quietly sleeping, loosened it from its 
 moorings, set it on fire, and sent it down the river in the di- 
 rection of the Falls, where it was dashed to pieces at the foot 
 of the cataract. Several of the men on board were killed, 
 wounded, or sunk with the bm-ning boat. 
 
 24. A demand by Sir Francis Bond Head, Governor-General 
 of Canada, for the surrender of Mackenzie, who had fled to the 
 United States, was made ujjon Governor Marcy; but the requisi- 
 tion was declined, upon the ground that Mackenzie was a politi- 
 cal offender, seeking an asylum in a neutral ten-itory, and 
 therefore not amenable, by international comity, to surrender 
 as an ordinary criminal. 
 
 25. Proclamations prohibiting all interference on the part of 
 American citizens in the insurrectionary movements of the Cana- 
 dians were issued by the President o£ the United States and 
 the Governor of New York ; and General Scott, the commander 
 of the United States Army, was despatched to the frontier to 
 preserve order and enforce neutrality. The excitement, how- 
 ever, on the border, continued for two or three years, and was 
 finally terminated by the defeat of the insurgents by the British 
 and Canadian forces. The burning of the Caroline was the sub- 
 ject of a spirited negotiation between the representatives of the 
 two countries, which resulted in an amicable adjustment. 
 
 2G. Governor Marcy, at the opening of the session of 
 18-38, renewed his recommendation in reference to the 
 disposition of that portion of the surplus revenue of the govern- 
 ment deposited with the State, with the additional suggestion 
 of the appropriation of fifty-five thousand dollars annually, for 
 the purchase of school-district libraries. He also recommended 
 the passage of a general banking law. 
 
 Eiirnin;: of tlic Caroline. — Proclamations of neutrality. — General Scott 
 (U'>]iatchr(I to the frontier wiih a military force. — Diplomatic negotiations. 
 Legislature of 1838. — Governor's message. 
 
STATE BANKS AND SCHOOLS. 241 
 
 27. The bill authorizing the suspension of the act prohibiting 
 the issue of small bills for two j-ears passed both Houses at an 
 carlj- period of the session. Mr. Samuel B. Kuggles, of New 
 York, made an exceedingly elaborate and able report on the 
 subject of internal improvements, recommending large appropri- 
 ations for the enlargement of the Erie Canal, and the construc- 
 tion of auxiliary works, which met the approval of both branches. 
 A general banking law was also passed, and an act appropriat- 
 ing the surplus revenue of the United States deposited with the 
 State for the purposes of education substantially in conformity 
 with the recommendation of the Governor. 
 
 28. General Dix, in his annual report as Superintendent of 
 Common Schools, after enumerating the various sources of in- 
 come provided by the recent act and previous legislation, sub- 
 mitted some very valuable and pertinent remarks in reference 
 to the vital importance of moral and religious instruction in the 
 common schools, free from all taint of sectarianism, and based 
 exclusively on the teachings of the Bible, without note or com- 
 ment. 
 
 29. At the November elections, William H. Seward, of Cay- 
 uga, was elected Governor, and Luther Bradish, of Franklin, 
 Speaker of the Assembly, Lieutenant-Governor, by a majority 
 of about ten thousand over Governor Marcy and Lieutenant- 
 Governor Tracy. The Whigs also obtained a majority of two 
 to one in the Assembly, and carried five of the eight Senate 
 districts, leaving the Democrats still in the ascendency in that 
 branch of the Legislature. 
 
 Suspension of the act prohibiting the issue of small bills. — Report on 
 internal iraprovemcnt. — Canal appropriations. — General biinking law. — 
 Appropriation of United States Deposit Fund. — Report of Superintendent 
 of Common Schools. — Moral and religious instruction. — Election of Gov- 
 ernor Seward and Lieutenant-Governor Bradish. 
 
 16 
 
242 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 Administration op Govebxok Seward. — Education of Children 
 OF Foreigners. — Canal Enlargement. — Internal Improve- 
 ments. — C0.MMON Schools. — CoNiRovERsr with Virginia. — 
 Ward Schools in New York. 
 
 1. On the assembling of the Legislature on the first Tues- 
 day of January, 1839, Governor Sewabd, after recommend- 
 ing the creation of a Board of Internal Improvements, the 
 
 ef&cient prosecution of the enlargement of the Erie Canal, and 
 the construction of three great lines of railroads in the northern, 
 central, and southern sections of the State, paid a just tribute 
 to its financial prosperity and the previous development of its 
 resources. 
 
 2. " History," he observes, " furnishes no parallel to the finan- 
 cial achievements of this State. It surrendered its share in 
 the national domain, and relinquished for the general welfare 
 all the revenues of its foreign commerce, equal, generally, to 
 two thirds of the entire expenditure of the Federal Government. 
 It has, nevertheless, sustained the expenses of its own adminis- 
 tration, founded and endowed a broad system of education, 
 charitable institutions for every class of the unfortunate, and a 
 penitentiary establishment which is adopted as a model by civil- 
 ized nations. It has increased fourfold the wealth of its citizens, 
 and relieved them irom direct taxation ; and, in addition to all 
 this, has carried forward a stupendous enterprise of improve- 
 ment, all the while diminishing its debt, magnifying its credit, 
 and augmenting its resources.'' 
 
 3. The message closed with an eloquent tribute to the merits 
 of his great predecessor, the illustrious Clinton, and a recom- 
 mendation for the erection of an appropriate monument at the 
 capital for the reception of his remains. A bill was accordingly 
 introduced, early in the session, for the accomplishment of this 
 object, but failed to become a law. An act for the unconditional 
 
 Jleoting of the Leirislature. — Governor's message. — Financial prosperitj' 
 of the State. — Clinton monument. — Repeal of the act prohibiting small 
 bills. 
 
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR SEWARD. 243 
 
 repeal of the law prohibiting the issue and circulation of small 
 bills passed both Houses. 
 
 4. The official term of Senator Tallmadge having expired, a 
 strong effort was made for his re-election, but without success, 
 owing to the failure of the Senate to nominate. John C. Spen- 
 cer, of Ontario, was appointed Secretary of State and Superin- 
 tendent of Common Schools ; Bates Cooke, of Niagara, Comp- 
 troller ; Willis Hall, of New York, Attorney-General ; and 
 Samuel B. Euggles, of New York, Canal Commissioner, to sup- 
 ply the vacancy occasioned by the death of Stephen Van Rens- 
 selaer, which occurred at Albany in the preceding month. 
 
 5. During the ensuing summer. President Van Burbn visited 
 the State, passing through the principal cities and villages on 
 his route, and receiving every demonstration of respect and 
 esteem from all classes of citizens. The fall elections resulted 
 in the election of a Whig majority in both branches of the 
 Legislature. William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, was placed 
 in nomination, in December, by the National Whig Convention, 
 as a candidate for the Presidency ; and John Tyler, of Virginia, 
 as Vice-President. 
 
 6. The Legislature reassembled on the 7th of January, 
 1840. Governor Seward, after informing the Legislature 
 
 that the net proceeds of the canals, deducting the interest 
 of the debt for their construction, were $ 1,057,802, and the 
 capital of the common-school fund nearly two millions, recom- 
 mended the instruction of the children of foreigners by teach- 
 ers speaking their own language and professing their own relig- 
 ious faith, who should be permitted to participate equally with 
 others in the funds provided by the State. 
 
 7. He also informed the Legislature that the cost of enlarg- 
 ing the Erie Canal, heretofore estimated by the State officers at 
 twelve millions of dollars, would exceed twenty-three millions 
 at the lowest estimate, and that for the construction of the 
 Genesee Valley and Black River Canals an additional expendi- 
 ture of six millions would be requisite. He still, however, 
 
 Appointment of State officers. — Death of Stephen Van Rensselaer. — 
 Visit of President Van Buren. — Fall elections. — Whig nominations for 
 President and Vice-President. — Message of the Governor. — Canal en- 
 largement. — Common schools. — Instruction of the children of foreigners 
 
244 SEVENTU PERIOD. 
 
 virged the energetic prosecution of these and other great 
 measures of internal improvement, by roads and canals, as a 
 policy dictated by the highest and most important interests of 
 the State. 
 
 8. He next invited the attention of the Legislature to a cor- 
 respondence, which had taken place during the past year, be- 
 tween himself and the Executive of Virginia, in reference to 
 the demand of the latter for the surrender of three colored 
 fugitives from that State, charged with stealing a negro slave. 
 This demand had been refused, on the ground that such alleged 
 felony was not recognized as such, either by the laws of nations 
 or those of this State. 
 
 9. The first act of the Legislature was the re-election of 
 Nathaniel P. Tallmadge as United States Senator. An act 
 for the registry of voters in the city of New York was also 
 passed, after a spirited discussion, by a strict party vote. 
 Secretary Spencer, as Superintendent of Common Schools, trans- 
 mitted to the Legislature, on the 13th of April, reports of the 
 sevei-al visitors of schools, appointed by him imder an act of 
 the preceding year, together with a full exposition of his own 
 views for the improvement of the system. 
 
 10. He recommended the appointment of deputy-superin- 
 tendents in the several counties of the State, and the establish- 
 ment of graded schools and local Boai'ds of Education in the 
 several cities and large villages of the State, the introduction 
 of vocal music as a branch of elementary instruction, and 
 various other changes in the details of the existing provisions 
 of law applicable to these institutions. A bill in accordance 
 with these suggestions, passed the Asscmbty, but failed of be- 
 coming a law by the adjom-nment of the Legislature on the 
 14th of Jlay, after passing an act abolishing imprisonment for 
 debt, and approving of the refusal of Governor Seward to sur- 
 render the fugitives demanded by the Governor of Virginia. 
 
 11. An animated political canvass now ensued for the elec- 
 tion of presidential candidates and candidates for the various 
 State and county offices. Immense mass meetings were held 
 
 Controversy with Virfrinia. — Appointment of United States Senator. — 
 Bepon of Superintendent of Common Schools. — Abolition of imprisoumcnt 
 for debt. — Political campaign of 1840. 
 
SEWARD ON COMMON SCHOOLS. 245 
 
 in every part of the State, and the utmost spirit and enthusiasm 
 pervaded the action of both the great pohtical parties. Tlie 
 HaiTisou electoral ticket prevailed at the November elections 
 by a majority of thirteen thousand votes ; Governor Seward 
 and Lieutenant-Governor BRi^dish were re-elected, by five thou- 
 sand majority, over William C. Bouck, of Schoharie, and Dan- 
 iel S. Dickinson, of Broome, the Democratic candidates, and a 
 Whig majority was returned in both branches of the Legislature. 
 
 12. William Hexry Harrison, of Ohio, was elected Presi- 
 dent of the United States by a majority of one hundred and 
 seventy -four electoral votes over President Van Buren, who 
 had rendered himself very obnoxious to the banking and com- 
 mercial interests of the Union by his successful exertions in 
 the establishment of an independent treasurj-, and to a large 
 portion of the citizens of the Northern States by his alleged 
 subserviency to Southern views and interests. John Tyler, of 
 Virginia, was elected Vice-President by a still larger electoral 
 majoritj' over Colonel Richard M. Johnson. The administra- 
 tion of President Harrison was, however, terminated by his 
 sudden death one month after his inauguration in the ensu- 
 ing year, and Vice-President Tyler assumed its duties for the 
 remainder of the term. 
 
 13. At the meeting of the Legislature in Januarj', 
 1841, Governor Seward, after expressing his gratification 
 
 at the increased productiveness of the canals as shown by the 
 net receipts of the preceding year, and estimating the entire in- 
 debtedness of the State, exclusive of its loans to and liabilities 
 for incorporated companies, at about fifteen millions of dollars, 
 renewed his recommendation for the education of the childi-en 
 of foreigners in our public schools. 
 
 14. The number of uneducated children in the State was 
 estimated at thirty thousand, two thirds of whom were of foreign 
 parentage; and the importance and necessity of providing for this 
 neglected class the means of elementary instruction in schools 
 taught by teachers of their own nationalities and religious faith 
 
 Ro-olection of Governor Seward and Lieutenant-Governor Bradi.sh. — 
 Election of President Harrison and Vice-President Tyler. — Dcatli of Presi- 
 dent Harrison. — Governor's message. — Revenues of the canals. — State 
 indebtedness. — Education of the children of foreigners. 
 
246 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 were ably and eloquently portrayed. He observed that our sys- 
 tems of education were deficient in comprehensiveness in the 
 exact proportion of the number left uneducated ; that knowledge, 
 however acquired, was better than ignorance ; and that " neither 
 en-or, accident, nor prejudice ought to be permitted to deprive 
 the State of the education of her citizens." 
 
 15. "Cherishing such opinions," he observes, "I could not 
 enjoy the consciousness of having discharged my duty, if any 
 effort had been omitted which was calculated to bring within 
 the schools all who are destined to exercise the rights of citizen- 
 ship ; nor shall I feel that the system is perfect, or liberty safe, 
 
 until that object be accomplished I seek the education 
 
 of those whom I have brought before you, not to perpetuate any 
 prejudices or distinctions which deprive them of instruction, but 
 in disregard of all such distinctions and prejudices. I solicit 
 their education less from sympathy than because the welfare of 
 the State demands it, and cannot dispense with it. 
 
 16. "As native citizens they are born to the right of suffrage. 
 I ask that they may at least be taught to read and write. In 
 asking this, I require no more for them than I have diligently 
 endeavored to secure to the inmates of otu- penitentiaries, who 
 have forfeited that inestimable franchise by crime ; and also to 
 an unfortunate race, which, having been plunged by us into 
 degradation and ignorance, has been excluded from the fran- 
 chise by an arbitrary property qualification incongruous with all 
 our institutions. 
 
 17. "I have not recommended, nor do I seek, the education 
 of any class in foreign languages or in particular creeds or faiths ; 
 but fully believing, with the author of the Declaration of Inde- 
 pendence, that even error may be safely tolerated where reason 
 is left free to combat it, and therefore indulging no apprehen- 
 sions from the influence of any language or creed among an en- 
 lightened people, I desire the education of the entire rising 
 generation in all the elements of knowledge we possess, and in 
 that tongue which is the universal language of our countrymen. 
 
 18. " To me, the most interesting of all our institutions is the 
 Co-M-MON School. I seek not to disturb in any manner its 
 
 Universal education. — The common school. 
 
COMMON-SCHOOL SYSTEM. 247 
 
 peaceful and assiduous exercises, and least of all with conten- 
 tions about faith or forms. I desire the education of all the 
 cliildren in the Commonwealth in morality and virtue, leaving 
 matters of conscience where, according to the principles of civil 
 and religious liberty established by our Constitution and laws, 
 they rightfully belong." 
 
 1 9. Professor Alonzo Potter, of Union College, who, at the 
 request of the Common-School Department, had personally, 
 during the preceding year, visited and inspected the teachers' 
 departments in the several academies of the State, submitted 
 to the Legislature an able report, concluding with a recommen- 
 dation for the establishment of a State Normal School, in accord- 
 ance with the Prussian and French systems, for the education 
 and proper preparation of teachers. The Superintendent, Mr. 
 Secretary Spen'Cee, also renewed his recommendation of the pre- 
 ceding year for a modification and improvement of the common- 
 school system. 
 
 20. Early in the session, John A. Collier, of Broome, was 
 chosen Comptroller, in place of Bates Cooke, resigned. The 
 Governor transmitted to the Legislature copies of additional 
 correspondence with the Executive of Virginia, in the case of the 
 demand made by the latter for the rendition of certain alleged 
 fugitives from justice in that Commonwealth. 
 
 21. From that additional correspondence, it appeared that in 
 the spring of 1840 a citizen of New York, charged with the 
 crime of forgery in Tompkins County, had fled to the State of 
 Yirginia, whither a requisition was forwarded by Governor 
 Seward to the Executive of Virginia for his surrender as a 
 fugitive from justice. That requisition was refused, and the 
 fugitive retained in prison in Virginia by the Governor, until 
 the requisition made by him in behalf of the colored fugitives 
 from that State should be complied with by the Executive of 
 New York. This unjustifiable procedure was promptly disap- 
 proved of by the Legislature of Virginia. 
 
 22. On the 26th of April, Secretary Spencer, as Superin- 
 tendent of Common Schools, to whom was referred, by the 
 Senate, the several memorials and petitions from the city of 
 
 Ecport of Professor Potter. — State Novmal School. — Virginia corre- 
 spondence. — Proceedings of the Governor and Legislature of Virginia. 
 
248 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 New York for such a revision of the system of public educa- 
 tion in that city as would provide more fully for the instruc- 
 tion of the children of foreigners and Catholics, submitted an 
 elaborate and able report, concluding with the recommendation 
 that a Board of Commissioners should be elected in that city, 
 with authority to establish and organize a system of Ward Com- 
 mon Schools, which should co-operate with the schools of the Pub- 
 lic School Society in furnishing the requisite facilities for the 
 education of all classes of children, without regard to religious 
 distinctions or other existing impediments to their instruction. 
 23. On the 2Gth of May the Legislature, by a nearly unan- 
 imous vote, passed an act, in conformity with the recommen- 
 dation of Secretary Spencer, amendatory of the common- 
 school law, providing for the appointment of a General Deputy- 
 Superintendent for the State, and the election of county superin- 
 tendents in the several counties of the State, by the Boards of 
 Supen-isors respectively. Under the provision of this act, 
 Samuel S. Eaxdall, of Albany, then a clerk in the Superin- 
 tendent's office, was appointed General Deputy-Superintendent 
 by Mr. Spexcer. A liberal appropriation was also made for the 
 support of an educational journal conducted by Francis Dwight 
 of Ontario. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Admin-isteatiom of Governor Seward. — Burning or the Caroline. 
 — Trial and Acquittal of Alexander McLeod. — Instruction 
 OF Foreign and Catholic Children. — Ward Schools in New 
 York. — Finances of the State. — The Virginia Controversy. 
 
 1. Ix the early part of January, Alexander McLeod, a resi- 
 dent of Chippewa, in Canada, while visiting Lewiston, 
 in Niagara County, openly avowed his complicity in the 
 burning of the Caroline, and the mui'der of James Durfee, one 
 of its crew, on the night of the 29th of December, 1837. He 
 
 Kcport of Secretary Spencer on the educational system of New York 
 City. — Amendment of the common-school law. — County superintendents. 
 — District-school journal. 
 
THE M'^LEOD l^RIAL. 249 
 
 was at once arrested, and committed to the jail at Lockport, 
 on a criminal charge, an indictment found against him for the 
 murder of Durfee, and a civil suit commenced against him by 
 the owner of the Caroline for damages sustained by its destruc- 
 tion. The British Minister at Washington, Mr. Fox, on learn- 
 ing the facts, immediatolj' demanded his release by the American 
 Government, avowing and justifying the seizure and destruction 
 of the Caroline as the act of the British Government. 
 
 2. In reply to this demand, the Secretary of State, Mr. Web- 
 ster, informed Mr. Fox that the national government had no 
 authority to interfere with the judicial proceedings of a State ; 
 that the case was under the exclusive control of the Supreme 
 Court of the State of New York; and that, in his judgment, 
 that tribunal would concur with himself in the opinion, tliat, in 
 view of the avowal made by the British Government, the prisoner 
 sliould be released. 
 
 3. The case was argued in the Supreme Court, at its August 
 term, in Utica, by Joshua A. Spencer, United States District 
 Attorney for the Northern District of New York, in behalf 
 of McLeod, and Attorney-General Willis Hall in behalf of 
 the State. The counsel for the prisoner, in a masterly argu- 
 ment, contended that the actual existence of a state of war on 
 the northern frontier, at the time of the commission of the 
 offence, whether formally recognized by the respective govern- 
 ments or not, justified the prisoner in obeying the orders of his 
 commanding officer, and that the sole responsibility for the con- 
 sequences rested upon the British Government. 
 
 4. The Court, however, concurred with Justice Cowen, who 
 delivered its opinion adverse to the application for the release 
 of McLeod, and remanded him for trial at a special circuit in 
 Oneida County, before Judge Gridley, of the Fifth Judicial 
 District, where he was acquitted, after an extended and exciting 
 trial, on full proof of his entire innocence of the charge, — his 
 confession having been made in a mere spirit of boastfulness 
 and drunken bravado. Thus terminated an investigation which 
 at one time threatened to result in serious national complications. 
 
 Arrest of Alexander McTjeod for the burninjj of the Caroline. — Demand 
 of the British Government for his release. — Keply of Mr. Webster. — De- 
 cision of the Supreme Court. — Trial and acquittal of McLeod. 
 
250 SEVEyTM PERIOD. 
 
 5. On the 3d of January, 1842, the Legislature re- 
 assembled. Governor Seward, after again referring to 
 the controversy with Virginia, and calling the attention of the 
 Legislature to a retaliatory act of the General Assembly of that 
 State calculated to embarrass our coasting trade, renewed his 
 recommendation for such a distribution of the public-school 
 money in the city of New York as to allow the children of 
 foreigners and Catholics to participate in the bounty of the State. 
 
 6. " This proposition," he observes, " to gather the young 
 from the streets and wharves into the nurseries which the State, 
 solicitous for her security against ignorance, has prepared for 
 them, has sometimes been treated as a device to appropriate 
 the school fund to the endowment of seminaries for teaching 
 languages and faiths, thus to perpetuate the prejudices it seeks to 
 remove ; sometimes as a scheme for dividing that precious fund 
 among a hundred jarring sects, and thus increasing the religious 
 animosities it strives to heal ; sometimes as a plan to subvert 
 the prevailing religion, and introduce one repugnant to the con- 
 sciences of our fellow-citizens ; while, in truth, it simply proposes, 
 by enlightening equally the minds of all, to enable them to detect 
 error wherever it may exist, and to reduce uncongenial masses 
 into one intelligent, virtuous, harmonious, and happy people. 
 
 7. " Being now relieved from all such misconceptions, it pre- 
 sents the questions, whether it is wiser and more humane to 
 educate the offspring of the poor than to leave them to grow 
 up in ignorance and vice ; whether juvenile vice is more easily 
 eradicated by the Court of Sessions than by common schools ; 
 whether parents have a right to be heard concerning the instruc- 
 tion and instructors of their children, and tax-payers in relation 
 to the expenditure of public funds ; whether, in a Republican 
 government, it is necessary to interpose an independent corpora- 
 tion between the people and the schoolmaster ; and whether it 
 is wise and just to disfranchise an entire community of all con- 
 trol over public education, rather than suffer a part to be repre- 
 sented in proportion to its numbers and contributions." 
 
 8. The value of the endowments of the colleges and academies 
 of the State was stated at $2,175,731, with an annual income 
 
 Govemor Sew.nrd's mossat'e- — The Virginia controversy. — Appropria- 
 tion of school money in Kew York. 
 
THE VIRGINIA CONTROVERSY. a.Jl 
 
 of 8 47,165 ; and the productive capital of the common-school 
 fund at $2,175,731, with an annual income of $201,000, ex- 
 clusive of public lands valued at $ 200,000, and the principal of 
 the United States Deposit Fund. The entire capital perma- 
 nently invested for the support of education, including the 
 literature, common-school, and United States Deposit Fund, 
 and school edifices, was estimated at $ 10,500,000. 
 
 9. The net revenue from the State canals, after deducting all 
 expenditures duiing the preceding year, was stated at one mil- 
 lion and a half dollars, and the permanent public debt for their 
 construction at § 15,540,530. The prosecution of the enlarge- 
 ment of the Erie Canal and the completion of the Genesee 
 Valley and Black River Canals were also urged. The cost of 
 all the public works of internal improvement then in progress, 
 including two thirds of the expense of constructing the New 
 York and Erie Railroad, was estimated at $ 36,589,379, and 
 the entire value of the taxable property of the State at seven 
 hundred millions. 
 
 10. The whole number of school districts in the State, as ap- 
 peared from the annual report of the acting Superintendent, 
 was 10,886, and the number of children under insti-uction 
 over six hundred thousand. The whole amount of monej' ex- 
 pended during the preceding year for the payment of the wages 
 of teachers was upwards of one million of dollars, of which 
 about one half was contributed by parents on rate bills, and 
 the residue from the public funds. There were upwards of 
 six hundred and thirty thousand volumes in the several district- 
 school libraries of the State. 
 
 11. The Acting Superintendent of Common Schools (S. S. Ran- 
 dall) recommended such a modification of the system of public 
 education in New York City as would combine the acknowledged 
 excellency of that system, as administered by the Public-School 
 Society, with its extension to that large class of children now 
 virtually excluded from its benefits, thus fully carrj'ing out the 
 enlightened views of the Governor in this respect, while preserv- 
 ing the system from the perils of sectarian influences. Azariah 
 
 Collcfres, academics, and common schools. — Kcvcnue of the canals. — 
 State debt. — Cost of internal improvements. — Taxable valuation of the 
 State. — Condition of the schools. — Report of Superintendent. 
 
2;-) 2 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 C. Flagg was, on the 7th of Februarj-, elected Comptroller ; 
 Samuel Youxg, Secretary of State and Superintendent of Com- 
 mon Schools ; and George P. Barker, of Erie, Attorney-General. 
 
 12. The financial condition of the State at this time was such 
 as to excite general apprehension and alarm. Heavy loans had 
 become necessary in order to discharge the pressing claims upon 
 the treasury for the paj-ment of contractors and laborers on the 
 numerous public works in progress ; and a temporary suspension 
 of those works, and the imposition of a State tax of one mill 
 on the dollar, were recommended by the Comptroller as the only 
 means of extrication from these embarrassments. Bills were 
 accordingly reported, in accordance with these views, in both 
 branches of the Legislature ; and, after full discussion, an act 
 embodying these provisions became a law on the 29th of March. 
 
 1-3. On the 11th of April the two Houses adopted a joint 
 resolution in reference to the Virginia controversy, declaring 
 that stealing a slave, contrary to the laws of Virginia, was a 
 crime within the meaning of the Constitution, and directing the 
 Governor to transmit such resolution to the Executive of that 
 State. Governor Seward, on the ensuing day, transmitted a 
 message, in which, after reiterating his previous views on the 
 subject, he declined a compliance with the directions of the 
 Legislature, accompanied by the suggestion that some other 
 agent than himself should be selected as the organ of com- 
 munication. The Legislature, without taking further action in 
 the matter, adjourned to the 16th of August for the division of 
 the State into congressional districts. 
 
 14. Previous to the adjournment, however, an act was passed, 
 authorizing the election of two commissioners in each of the 
 wards of the city of New York, constituting a Board of 
 Education in that city, with authority to establish schools, 
 and, in conjunction with the Public School Society, to pro- 
 vide the requisite facilities for the instruction of the children 
 thei-ein. Under this act, several additional schools were organ- 
 ized, and two independent systems of public schools were in 
 operation. 
 
 St.ite officers. — Financial condition of the State. — Snspcnsion of public 
 works. — State tax. — The Virsinir. controversy. — Joint resolutiuii of the 
 Legislature. — Message of the Governor. 
 
ADMiyiSTRATIOy OF WILLIAM C. BOUCK. 253 
 
 15. During the summer and fall of this year, William C. 
 BoucK, of Schoharie, was renominated by the Democratic State 
 Convention as a candidate for Governor, and Daniel S. Dick- 
 inson, of Broome, for Lieutenant-Governor. Luther Bradisii, 
 of Franklin, received the Whig nomination for Governor, and 
 Gabriel Furmax, of New York, for Lieutenant-Governor. On 
 the 4th of July the celebration of the completion of the 
 Croton Aqueduct, for the supply of water to the city of New 
 York, took place in that city with imposing ceremonies. 
 
 16. The November elections resulted in the complete triumph 
 of the Democratic party, by a majority of nearly twenty-two 
 thousand for Colonel Bouck and Mr. Dickinson over the Whig 
 candidates, and the return of a large Democratic majority in 
 both branches of the Legislature. Alvan Stewart, of Oneida, 
 received about seven thousand votes as the candidate of the 
 Abolitionists for Governor. 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 ADMixi5THATioy or William C. Bouck. — Geological Suevet. — 
 State Normal School. — Enlabgement of the Erie Canal. — 
 Axti-Rent Distukbances. 
 
 1. Governor Bouck's first message, in January, 1843, 
 took strong gi'ounds in favor of the legislative interpre- 
 tation of the principles involved in the Virginia controversy, 
 and of the policy of a gradual resumption of the public works 
 of internal improvement, including the Erie Canal enlargement. 
 Lyman Sanfoed, of Schoharie, was appointed Adjutant-General ; 
 Henry Storms, cf New York, Commissary-General ; and Edwin 
 Croswell was reappointed State Printer. Silas Wright was, 
 on the 7th of February, re-elected United States Senator for the 
 ensuing six years. 
 
 2. Several years previous the Governor had, by law, been 
 directed to cause a geological survey of the State to be made, 
 and the results of such survey, under the direction of eminent 
 
 Election of Governor Bouck. — Governor's message. — Acljutatit-Gcneral. 
 — State Printer. — United States Senator. — Geological survey of the State. 
 
254 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 State geologists appointed for that purpose, to be published. 
 During the preceding session, the geologists, including Professors 
 Beck, James Hall, and Ebexezeu Emmons, of Albany, had for- 
 warded elaborate reports of their proceedings, in ten volumes, 
 accompanied with suitable illustrations and engravings, to the 
 Legislature ; and three thousand copies of each were ordered to 
 be printed, and deposited with the Secretary of State for distri- 
 bution to the State officers and members of the Legislature. 
 
 3. Colonel YouxG, Secretary of State, on the 13th of March 
 of the present year transmitted a communication to the Sen- 
 ate, declining to carry out the provisions of this act, deeming 
 it unconstitutional on the ground that it had failed to receive 
 the assent of two thirds of all the members elected to each 
 House. He also commented, with great asperity, upon similar 
 violations of the Constitution by the Legislature in the creation 
 of State stocks and the grants of public money. " Millions of 
 outstanding stocks," he observed, " are now impending over the 
 State, which were created bj' laws in clear and direct hostility 
 with the plain provisions of the Constitution ; null and void in 
 their inception, and imposing not even the shadow of a moral 
 obligation for the fulfilment of their ostensible demands.'' 
 
 4. On the reception of this communication an excited debate 
 sprung up, followed by the offer of several resolutions, declar- 
 atory of the obligations of the State sacredly to fulfil all its 
 contracts, without regard to any technical informality in their 
 inception. Lieutenant-Governor Dickinson, in giving his cast- 
 ing vote on these resolutions, reviewed with great severity and 
 ability the positions assumed by the Secretary of State, and an 
 angry newspaper controversy was for some time kept up between 
 these two officers. The Secretary, however, during the continu- 
 ance of his official term, steadfastly maintained his determination 
 to decline a compliance with the law. 
 
 5. Mr. Calvin T. Hulburd, of St. Lawrence, Chairman of the 
 Committee on Colleges, Academies, and Common Schools, sub- 
 mitted to the Assembly an able report, recommending various 
 improvements and modifications of the common-school system, 
 in accordance with the suggestions of Superintendent Young in 
 
 Communication of Colonel Young. — Controversy between the Lieutenant- 
 Governor and Secretary. — Report on common schools. 
 
STATE NORMAL SCHOOL. 255 
 
 his annual report, all of -n-hich, with the exception of one for the 
 establishment of a State Normal School for the education of 
 teachers, were, on the 16th of April, approved by the Legis- 
 lature, and incorporated into the law ; after which the Legis- 
 lature adjourned. 
 
 6. Dui-ing the spring of this year, the death of SmiH Thomp- 
 son, of the United States Supreme Court, occurred at his resi- 
 dence in Poughkeepsie, and suitable testimonials of his high 
 character and eminent services, both to the State and Union, 
 were offered. The Hon. Samuel Nelson, Chief Justice of the 
 Supreme Court of New York, was appointed by the President 
 as his successor. The November elections resulted in a renewed 
 triumph of the Democratic pai-ty in both branches of the Legis- 
 lature. 
 
 7. On the reassembling of the Legislature in January, 
 1844, Governor Bouck stated the public debt of the State '^**' 
 at 8 2-3,847,162, requiring an annual interest of $ 1,377,261. 
 The revenue from the canals during the preceding year was 
 about two millions of dollars. A cautious and economical pro- 
 gress in the public works was recommended ; and a gratifying 
 exhibit submitted of the prosperity and advancement of the 
 common schools and other literary and charitable institutions 
 of tlie State. Samuel Beardsley, of Oneida, was appointed a 
 Judge of the Supreme Court, in the place of Esek Cowen, 
 deceased. 
 
 8. Mr. HuLBUED, from the Committee on Colleges, Academies 
 and Common Schools, on the 22d of March submitted a report 
 recommending the establishment and organization of a State 
 Normal School at Albany for the education and proper prepa- 
 ration of teachers ; on the 7th of May thereafter, an act 
 was jmssed in accordance with the report ; and on the 1st of 
 June, the Superintendent of Common Schools, Samuel Young, 
 Aloxzo Potter, William H. Campbell, Gideon IIawley, 
 and Francis Dwigiit, were appointed an Executive Committee, 
 
 Amendments of the school-law. — Death of JikIiic Thompson. — Appoint- 
 ment of Chief-Justice Nelson as Judge of the United States Supreme Court 
 — Legislature of 1844. — Governor's message. — Public debt. — C:mn\ rev- 
 enues. — Common schools. — Judge of Supreme Court. — State Normal 
 School. 
 
256 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 for the organization and management of such school. David 
 P. Page, of Massachusetts, was appointed Principal, and the 
 school Tvas opened on the 18th of December. 
 
 9. On the 23d of April, Horatio Seymour, of Oneida, from 
 the Assembly Committee on Canals and Internal Improvements, 
 made an able report, concluding with the introduction of a bill 
 authorizing and du-ecting the Canal Commissioners to proceed 
 with the enlargement of the Eric Canal, to such extent as the 
 interests of the State might require, and the moans at its dis- 
 posal justify. This bill, after mature consideration, received the 
 sanction of both branches of the Legislature, and became a law. 
 A loan of nine hundred thousand dollars was also authorized for 
 the paj-ment of canal damages, and the fulfilment of contracts. 
 
 10. Joint resolutions of both Houses were adopted, providing 
 for such amendments of the Constitution as should provide that 
 no expenditures for internal improvements, or other public pur- 
 poses, should thereafter be made, without the appropriation of 
 specific funds, by State tax or otherwise, for defraying their 
 cost, and the assent of two-thirds of the members elected to 
 each branch of the Legislatiu'e ; to prohibit the removal of judi- 
 cial oflicers, except for cause ; for the abolition of property 
 qualifications for any elective office ; and for the appointment of 
 additional chancellors and justices of the Supreme Court. An 
 act was also passed, restricting the number of Canal Commis- 
 sioners to four, and making them elective by the people. 
 
 11. On the 27th of May the national Democratic conven- 
 tion at Baltimore placed in nomination James K. Polk of 
 Tennessee for President, and George 1A. Dallas of Pennsyl- 
 vania for Vice-President. Henry Clay of Kentucky and 
 Theodore Frelinghuysen of New Jersey were the candidates 
 of the Whig party. President Van Bhren's refusal to commit 
 himself in favor of the annexation of Texas to the United 
 States was supposed to have prevented his renomination. James 
 G. BiRNEY was the candidate of the Abolitionists. 
 
 12. During the winter of this year, serious disturbances had 
 occm-rcd in consequence of the refusal of the tenants of the 
 late patroon, Stephen Van Eensselaer, to fulfil the obligations 
 
 Enlarfiement of the Eric Canal. — Proposed amendments of the Consti- 
 tution. — Nomination for the presidency. 
 
ANTI-REyr DISTURBANCES. 257 
 
 of their respective leases. In many instances the interference 
 of the military became necessary for the enforcement of legal 
 process for this purpose, and numerous outrages upon the 
 officers of tlie lavrs were committed. In the counties of Albany, 
 Rensselaer, Delaware, Columbia, and Greene, an organized re- 
 sistance to these demands was made, and legal process was 
 openly set at defiance. 
 
 13. Independently, however, of those citizens who thus ar- 
 rayed themselves in open opposition to the enforcement of the 
 laws, a verj- large proportion of the residents on the Van Rens- 
 selaer manor felt themselves seriously aggrieved by the de- 
 mands of their present landlords, under the provisions of 
 ancient leases, which for more than a century had been suffered 
 to lie in abeyance, and the revival and enforcement of which, 
 after so long a period, throatonod them with inevitable ruin. 
 They demanded legislative relief from this state of things, and 
 carried their grievances to the polls. 
 
 14. In addition to this political organization, whose increas- 
 ing numbers gave to it a prominent influence, the Native- 
 American party suddenly sprang into existence at about this 
 period, and from a local importance, occasioned by the great 
 influx of foreigners to the city of New York, and their weight 
 in the election of city officers, soon diffused itself over the 
 State and nation. Its political aim was the exclusion from 
 public office of all persons of foreign birth. 
 
 15. At the November elections, Silas Wright, of St. Law- 
 rence, was elected Governor, and Addison Gardiner of Mon- 
 roe, late Judge of the Eighth Circuit, Lieutenant-Governor, by a 
 large majority, over Millard Filljiore of Erie and Samuel J. 
 "Wilkin of Orange, together with a decided Democratic ma- 
 jority in both Houses of the Legislature. James K. Polk and 
 George M. Dallas, after an animated and exciting political 
 campaign, were elected President and Vice-President of the 
 United States, by electoral majorities of sixty-five, over Henry 
 Clay and Mr. Frelinghuysen. 
 
 16. In consequence of the resignation of Senators Wright 
 
 Anti-Rent rtisturbances — Anti-Rent and Native-American parties. — 
 Election of Silas Wrifrht as Governor, and Addison Gardiner, Lieutenant- 
 Governor- — Presidential election. 
 17 
 
258 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 and Tallmadge, Governor Bouck, in December, appointed 
 Henry A. Foster of Oneida, aud Lieutenant-Governor Daniel 
 S. Dickinson, of Broome, as United States Senators, for the 
 unexpired terms respectively. The proposed amendments to 
 the Constitution in reference to the prosecution of the public 
 works, and the finances of the State, and other objects, having 
 received the approval of a majority of the people at the recent 
 election, were again remitted to the ensuing Legislature for 
 final adoption. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Administkation of Silas Weight. — Internal iMrROVEMBNTS. — 
 Canal Enlargement. — Common Schools. — Anti-Rent Oni- 
 rages. — Proclamation of Martial Law. — Trial and Convic- 
 tion OF the Insurgent Leaders. — Railroads and Magnetic- 
 Telegraph AVlRES. 
 
 L At the meeting of the Legislature in January, 1845, 
 Governor Wright recommended a steady adherence to 
 the legislative policy of 1842, in reference to the prose- 
 cution of the public works, and the incorporation of that policy 
 as a permanent part of the State Constitution. After presenting 
 a clear exhibit of the financial condition of the State, and its vari- 
 ous literary and charitable institutions, he thus adverts specially 
 to the funds set apart for the benefit of the common schools : — 
 
 2. " Few if any instances are upon record," he observes, 
 " in which a fund of this description has been administered and 
 its bounties dispensed, through a period of forty years, with so 
 few suspicions, accusations, or complaints of the interference of 
 either political or religious biases to disturb the equal balance by 
 which its benefits should be extended to our whole population. 
 This should continue as it has been. 
 
 3. " Our school fund is not instituted to make our children 
 and youth cither partisans in politics or sectarians in religion, 
 but to give them education, intelligence, sound principles, good 
 moral habits, and a free and independent spirit ; in short, to 
 
 Appointments of United States senators. — Proposal for amendment to 
 the Constitution. — Governor AVright's message. — Prosecution of the public 
 works. — Common schools. 
 
ANTI-RENT OUTRAGES. 259 
 
 make them American freemen and American citizens, and to 
 qualify them to judge and choose for themselves in matters of 
 politics, religion, and government. 
 
 i. " Such an administration of the fund as shall be calculated 
 to render this qualification the most perfect for the mature 
 minds, with the fewest influences tending to bias the jvidgment 
 or incline the choice, will be the most consonant with our duties 
 and with the best interests of our constituents. Under such an 
 administration, education will flourish most, and the peace and 
 harmony of society be best preserved. 
 
 5. " Xo public fund of the State is so unpretending, yet so 
 all-pervading ; so little seen, yet so universally felt ; so mild in 
 its exactions, yet so bountiful in its benefits ; so little feared or 
 courted, and yet so powerful, as this fund for the support of 
 common schools. The other funds act upon the secular inter- 
 ests of society, its business, its pleasures, its pride, its passions, 
 its vices, its misfortunes. This acts upon its mind and its 
 morals. 
 
 6. " Education is to free institutions what bread is to human 
 life, — the staff of their existence. The office of this fund is to 
 open and warm the soil, and sow the seed which the element of 
 freedom must grow and ripen into maturity ; and the health or 
 sickliness of the growth will measure the extent and security of 
 our liberties. The thankfulness we owe to those who have gone 
 befoi-e us for the institution of this fund, for its constitutional 
 protection, and for its safe and prudent administration hitherto, 
 we can best repay by imitating their example, and improving 
 upon their work as the increased means placed in our hands 
 shall give us ability." 
 
 7. The Governor informed the Legislature that resistance to 
 the law and its officers in the anti-rent districts had been re- 
 newed, in forms and under circumstances of the deepest aggra- 
 vation ; and that organized bands of men, disguised as savages, 
 with arms in their hands, had bidden defiance to the law, its 
 process, and its officers, and in repeated instances rendered its 
 mandates unavailing, while in some cases the lives of unoffend- 
 ing citizens had been taken. 
 
 Common-School Fund. — Anti-rent outrages. 
 
2G0 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 S. " While the question between the proprietors and the 
 tenants,'' he observes, " was whether the leasehold tenures 
 should be perpetuated, or the rents should be commuted upon 
 fair and reasonable terms, and foe-simple titles given upon the 
 payment of a capital in mone}', which, invested at a stipulated 
 rate, would reproduce tlio rents to the landlord, the controversy 
 was one in which the feelings and s3'mpathios of our people 
 were deeply enlisted, and strongly inclining in favor of the 
 tenants. 
 
 9. " Then the question was not whether rights of property 
 are to be trampled upon, the obligations of contracts violently 
 resisted, the laws of the State set at defiance, the peace of society 
 disturbed, and human life sacrificed ; but in what way contracts 
 onerous in their exactions and tenures, in their nature and char- 
 acter uncongenial with the habits and opinions of our people, 
 could be peaceably and justly and constitutionally modified to 
 meet the changed circumstances of the times. 
 
 10. " Then I might have invited your careful attention to the 
 considerations growing out of these issues ; but I feel precluded 
 from discussions of this character by the extravagant and inde- 
 fensible position given to the controversy by the unlawful and 
 violent proceedings of those who assume the charge of the rights 
 and interests of the tenants involved in this litigation.'' He 
 accordingh' recommended the enactment of stringent penal laws 
 for the prevention and punishment of all outrages of this nature, 
 which was promptly complied with by the Legislature at an early 
 period of the session. 
 
 11. On the first Tuesday in February, Azariah C. FLAGGwas 
 reappomted Comptroller ; Nathaniel S. Benton', of Herkimer, 
 appointed Secretaiy of State and Superintendent of Common 
 Schools, in place of Colonel Young ; and John Van Buebn, of 
 Albany, Attorney-General, in place of Mr. Barker. Greene C. 
 Bronson. of Oneida, was appointed Chief-Justice of the Su- 
 preme Coui-t. On the 25th of Februar)"-, General John A. Dix 
 was f.hosen United States Senator, to fill the unexpired term 
 of Governor Wiiight, and Lieutenant-Governor' Daniel S. Dick- 
 inson for the residue of the term of Senator Tallmadge and 
 
 State officers. — United States senators. 
 
^^E\V COXSTITUTIOXAL CONVENTION. 261 
 
 for the full term succeeding. Governor Marcy was soon after- 
 ■n-ards appointed, by the President, Secretary of War of the 
 United States. 
 
 1 2. The various constitutional amendments proposed by the 
 last Legislature and ratified by the popular vote, with the ex- 
 ception of those providing for the abolition of property qualifi- 
 cations for elective oifioers and prohibiting the removal of 
 judicial officers without just cause, failed to secure the requisite 
 constitutional majorities in both Houses. A liill was accord- 
 ingly, on the 13th of March, introduced in the Assembly by 
 Mr. Craix, of Herkimer, providing for the call of a State Con- 
 vention for the formation of a new Constitution, which, after a 
 series of animated discussions and debates in both Houses, 
 finally became a law, subject to the approval of the people at 
 the ensuing election. 
 
 13. At a late period in the session, an act was passed in both 
 Houses appropriating one hundred and ninety-seven thousand 
 dollars from the revenues of the canals for the completion of 
 siicli portions of the enlarged Eric, Black River, and Genesee 
 Valley Canals, and such repairs to other public works as may be 
 required by the interests of the State. This bill encountered a 
 veto from Governor "Wright, chiefly upon the ground of the in- 
 compatibility of some of its details with the legislative policy 
 of the act of 1842, which had received the sanction of the 
 popular vote, and failed to obtain the requisite constitutional 
 majority. 
 
 14. Notwithstanding the severe penalties of tlic act recently 
 passed for the prevention of anti-rent outrages, great excitement 
 and alarm still prevailed in the manor counties. In Columbia, 
 during the summer of this year, several outrages were commit- 
 ted by members of the Anti-Rent associations disguised as In- 
 dians. One of the most active agents, Dr. Boughton, was 
 arrested, tried, convicted, and imprisoned. In Delaware and 
 Schoharie, frequent sanguinary riots took place ; and in August, 
 i\Ir. Steel, a deputy-sheriff', while in the discharge of his official 
 
 Constitutional amendments. — Bill for a State Constitutional Convention. 
 — Act in relation to the canals. — Governor's veto. — Further anti-rent out- 
 rages. — Imprisonment of Dr. Boughton. — Murder of Deputy-Sheriff 
 Steel. 
 
262 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 duties, was attacked by an armed party and inhumanly mur- 
 dered. 
 
 15. So numerous and daring were the acts of lawless violence 
 perpetrated by these men in Delaware County, that application 
 was made to Governor Weight to declare the county in a state 
 of insurrection. A spirited proclamation was immediately issued 
 bv the Governor, commanding the restoration of order under 
 severe penalties, and ordering out a sufficient military force for 
 the protection of the inhabitants. A special court of oyer and 
 terminer was convened by Judge Amasa J. Parker, several con- 
 victions obtained by Attorney-General Van Buren, including 
 two of a capital nature, the punishment for which was com- 
 muted hj the Governor to imprisonment for life. 
 
 16. In December, official information of the suppression of 
 the insurrection was received, and the proclamation of martial 
 law by the Governor revoked. The ability and firmness with 
 which the executive duties were performed at this alarming and 
 diiScult crisis commanded the general approbation and admi- 
 ration of the people of the State. The fall elections, in the 
 mean time, had resulted in the usual Democratic majorities in 
 both branches of the Legislature, and the approval of the call 
 for a State Constitutional Convention, by a majority of upwards 
 of one hundred and eighty thousand votes. 
 
 17. From the period of the construction of the Albany and 
 Schenectady Railroad, in 1830, which was the pioneer of this 
 great system in New York, and the inception, aided by the 
 credit of the State, of the New York and Erie Railroad at a 
 later period, numerous acts of the Legislature authorizing the 
 construction of these roads by incorporated companies were 
 passed, and in every section of the State wholly or partially car- 
 ried into effiact. The Albany and Schenectady road was com- 
 pleted to Ctica, where it was soon intersected by another con- 
 necting with the New York and Erie Road, and completing the 
 connection between New York, Buffalo, and Lake Erie, and the 
 facilities of rapid communication between these points was in- 
 
 Insurrection in Delaware County. — Proclamation of the Governor. — 
 Martial law. — Trial and conviction of tlie Anti-Rent rioters. — Suppression 
 of the insurrection. — Result of the November elections. — State Consti- 
 tutional Convention approved. — Railroads. 
 
RAILROADS AND TELEGRAPH. 263 
 
 creased by the construction of the Hudson Eiver and Harlem 
 Railroads between New York and Albany. 
 
 IS. During the present and succeeding years these facilities 
 ■n-ere immeasm-ably increased by the opening of magnetic-tele- 
 graph lines from Washington, through Philadelphia, New York, 
 and Albany, to Boston, through the energy and genius of Profes- 
 sor !MoRSE and Hesry 0. Rbilly ; and other similar hues followed 
 in quick succession, opening instantaneous communication be- 
 tween the principal towns and cities of the State and Union. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Admisisteatiox of Governor Wright. — State Constitutiostal 
 CoxvENTios. — Constitution of 1846. — Free Schools. 
 
 1. Governor Wright, in his message to the Lesrisla- 
 
 1846 
 
 ture of 1846, after recapitulating the incidents connected 
 with the recent Anti-Rent outbreaks, and the suppression of the 
 insurrectionary movements in the manor counties, recommended 
 the abolition of the process of distress for rents hereafter to 
 accrue, the taxation of the landlords' rents as income, and the 
 restriction of all leases hereafter to be executed to a period of 
 five or ten years. The State debt was estimated at $16,644,815, 
 and the revenues from the canals during the preceding year at 
 about two and a half millions of dollars. 
 
 2. The annual report of the Superintendent of Common 
 Schools showed an increase of the number of school districts in 
 the State to upwards of eleven thousand, in which were taught 
 seven hundred and thirty-six thousand pupils, at an expense of 
 upwards of one million of dollars, nearly half of which was con- 
 tributed by rate-bill. Ninetj'-five thousand dollars had been 
 expended in the purchase of school-district libraries, which 
 numbered upwards of one million volumes. Acts were passed 
 abolishing distress for rent and facilitating the legal remedies 
 by re-entry on lands for its non-payment. 
 
 Magnetic telegraph. — Legislature of 1846. — Governor's message. — 
 Anti-rent excitement. — State debt. — Canal revenues. — Report of Super- 
 intendent of Common Schools. — District libraries. — Distress for rent. 
 
264 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 3. On the first day of June the State Constitutional Con- 
 VEXTiox, the members of which had been elected in April, 
 assembled at Albanj-, and organized by the election of ex- 
 Lie\itenant-Goveriior John Tr.vcy, of Chenango, as President, 
 and Francis Starbuck, of Jefferson, Henry W. Strong, of 
 Rensselaer, and Francis Seger, of Lewis, as secretaries. A 
 committee of seventeen was appointed for the distribution of 
 the business of, the Convention, who, on the succeeding day, 
 presented a report, which was adopted, and the several com- 
 mittees charged with the consideration of the various subjects 
 presented for discussion appointed. 
 
 4. Xo material alteration of the existing provisions of the 
 Constitution of 1821 was made in the organization of the Ex- 
 ecutive Department. In the Legislative Department, the only 
 essential change was made in the requisition of the election of 
 senators for a period of two years by single senatorial districts, 
 and of members of the Lower House by single Assembly districts 
 in the several counties of the State. The power of impeachment 
 of public officers was vested in the Assembly, and the Senate 
 and judges of the Court of Appeals, presided over by the Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor, constituted the tribunal for the trial of such 
 impeachments. 
 
 5. Eight judicial districts were directed to be constituted, in 
 each of which four judges of the Supreme Court, vested with 
 legal and equitable powers, were to be elected, with such addi- 
 tional number in the district composed of the city of New York 
 as its population might from time to time require. These 
 judges were required to be classified, so that the terms of each 
 shou.ld expire once in every eight years, after the first classifi- 
 cation. A Court of Appeals was organized, to be composed of 
 eight judges, four to be elected by the people of the entire State 
 for the term of eight years, and the remaining four to be selected 
 from the class of justices of the Supreme Court having the 
 shortest time to serve. Provision was made for the election of 
 one of these justices every second year, and for the appointment 
 of a Chief-Justice from their number, and presiding judges at 
 tlie general terms, in the several District Courts, and also for 
 
 ronstiuitioii;il Convention. — Organization of the Executive. — Legis- 
 lative and Judicial Departments. 
 
COSSTRUCTION OF THE COURTS. 265 
 
 the establishment of circuit courts and courts of oyer and ter- 
 miner in the several counties. 
 
 6. Justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court 
 of Appeal were made removable by concurrent resolution of 
 both Houses of the Legislature, two thirds of all the mem- 
 bers elected to the Assembly and a majority of the Senate 
 concurring. All other judicial officers, except Justices of the 
 Peace and judges or justices of inferior courts not of record, 
 were made removable for cause to be stated, by the Senate on 
 the recommendation of the Governor, after a full opportunity 
 for defence. In case of any vacancy in the office of judge, the 
 Governor was authorized to supply such vacancy by appoint- 
 ment until the next ensuing election. 
 
 7. A county judge was required to be elected once in four 
 years, in each of the counties of the State except New York, 
 for the holding of county courts, and, with two Justices of 
 the Peace, of Courts of Sessions, and the performance of the 
 duties of SuiTogate, when the population of the county was less 
 than forty thousand. Justices of the Peace were made elective 
 by the people of the several towns for a term of four yenrs each. 
 Tribunals of Conciliation were authorized for the voluntary 
 settlement of litigated cases, and provision was made fur the 
 appointment of commissioners for the revision of practice and 
 pleading in the several courts of the State, subject to the 
 approval of the legislatures. Sheriffs, county clerks, district- 
 attorneys, and coroners were to be elected in the several counties 
 for a term of three years respectively. 
 
 8. The Comptroller, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Attorney- 
 General, State Engineer, and Surveyor were required to be cho- 
 sen bv the electors of the State at the general election, once in 
 every two years. Thi-ee Canal Commissioners and three In- 
 spectors of State Prisons were to be also elected in the same 
 manner, one of their number to be annually chosen for the 
 term of three years. The Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of 
 State, Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney-General, Speaker of the 
 Assembly, and State Engineer and Surveyor were constituted 
 
 Kcmovalof justices of the Supreme Court. — County judges. — Justices 
 of the Peace. — Tribunals of conciliation. — Revision of practice and plead- 
 ings. — County officers. — State officers. 
 
2G6 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 Commissioners of the Land Office ; the four first named of these 
 officers Commissioners of the Canal Fund, and, in conjunction 
 ■n-ith the Canal Commissioners and State Engineer and Surveyor, 
 the Canal Board. 
 
 9. After .defraying the expenses of collection, superintendence, 
 and ordinary repairs, the sum of one inillion three hundred 
 thousand dollars ^yas required to be annuallj' set apart until 
 the first day of June, 1855, and from tliat date one million 
 seyen hundred thousand dollars annually, from the revenues of 
 the State canals, as a sinlcing fund for the payment of the in- 
 terest and redemption of the principal of the canal debt ; and 
 a further annual sum of three hundred and fifty thousand 
 dollars from the surplus revenues of such canals, until a suf- 
 ficient sum had been provided to pay the whole of such principal 
 and interest. 
 
 10. On the completion of such payment, the sum of one and 
 a half millions of dollars was required to be annually set apart 
 as a sinking fund for the payment of the interest and redemp- 
 tion of the principal of the general fund debt, including the 
 amount due on loans of the State credit to railroad companies, 
 until the same should be wholly paid ; after which, and after 
 defraying all expenses of superintendence and repair of the 
 canals, such sum, not exceeding two hundred thousand dollars, 
 to be annually appropriated from their surplus revenues to 
 the use and benefit of the general fund, as should be required 
 to defray the necessary expenses of the State. 
 
 11. The remainder of the canal revenues, after meeting these 
 various appropriations, was authorized to be applied, in such 
 manner as the Legislature should direct, to the enlargement of 
 the Erie Canal, and the completion of the Black River and 
 Genesee Valley Canals. Various other provisions were made for 
 the occurrence of future deficiencies in the funds of the State, 
 for the payment of its obligations, and the support of the 
 government. All appropriations of money were required to be 
 specifically stated in the acts for their provision ; and the cvcdit 
 
 Commissioners of the Land Office anil Canal Fund. — Canal Board, — I'ro- 
 vision for tlie payment of the canal ilcljt. — A]ii)roprialions to jrcncral fund. 
 — Krie Canal enlartccmcnt. — Black River and Genesee Valley Canals. — 
 Provisions for deficiencies in State funds. — Appropriations of public money. 
 
THE CONSTITUTION OF 1821. 267 
 
 of the State forbidden to be loaned to or in aid of any indi- 
 vidual, association, or corporation. 
 
 12. Xo debt was thereafter to be contracted by or on behalf 
 of the State, unless authorized by a law for some single speci- 
 fied work or object, and unless provision at the same time were 
 made for the imposition and collection of an annual State tax for 
 the payment of the accruing interest, and the extinguishment 
 of the principal of said debt within eighteen years thereafter ; 
 nor could such law take effect until it should have been sub- 
 mitted to the people of the State at a general election, and have 
 received the approval of a majority of all the votes cast at said 
 election for or against it. Such law, after such approval, might 
 be at any time repealed, or its operation suspended, by the 
 Legislature, with the exception of the provision therein made 
 for the collection of a tax to defray any expenditures in- 
 curred. 
 
 13. No such law was allowed to be submitted to the people 
 within three months after its passage, or at any election, when 
 any other bill or any proposition for the amendment of the Con- 
 stitution should have been so submitted. On the final passage 
 of any bill imposing, continuing, or reviving a tax, creating a 
 debt or charge, or making, continuing, or reviving any appropri- 
 ation of public money, or discharge of any claim or demand of 
 the State, three fifths of all the members elected to each House 
 were required to constitute a quorum, and the ayes and noes to 
 be taken and recorded on such bill. 
 
 14. Corporations, including banking and other associations, 
 were authorized to bo formed under general laws, and special acts 
 for this purpose were prohibited, except for municipal purposes 
 and in cases where, in the judgment of the Legislature, the 
 object of such corporations cannot be attained under general 
 laws. Suspension of specie payments by any such corporation 
 or association was prohibited to be sanctioned or in any man- 
 ner allowed by the Legislature ; all bills or notes put in circu- 
 lation as money were required to be registered, and ample se- 
 
 Loans to iiulividuals, associations, or corporations. — Eestrictions on the 
 contraction of State debts. — Corporations to be formed under general laws. 
 — Restrictions on banking associations. — Registry and redemption of 
 bank-notes. 
 
2G8 SEVENTH PERIOD. 
 
 curity for their redemption in specie furnished to the State, and 
 stockholders made individually responsible for any deficiency. 
 
 15. The capitals of the Common-School, Literature, and United 
 States Deposit Funds, were respectively to be preserved inviolate, 
 and their revenues applied exclusively to the purposes of their crea- 
 tion. The sum of twent}--five thousand dollars was directed to be 
 annually applied from the revenues of the United States Deposit 
 Fund to the increase of the capital of the Common-School Fund. 
 
 1 G. The Legislature was directed to provide for the organiza- 
 tion of cities and incorporated villages, and so to restrict their 
 powers of taxation, assessment, borrowing money, contracting 
 debts, and loaning their credit, as to prevent abuses in such as- 
 sessment, contracts, and loans. 
 
 1 7. Provisions were made for future amendments to the Con- 
 stitution bj' the Legislature, with the approbation of the people 
 at elections, general or special ; and also for the calling of a 
 State Convention for that purpose at the general election in 
 1866, and in each twentieth j-ear thereafter. 
 
 18. During the session of this Convention the first move- 
 ment was made for the establishment of Free Schools through- 
 out the State. With the exception of the city of Kew York, 
 the several common schools were supported in great part by 
 local taxation and the payment of rate-bills for teachers' wages, 
 after deducting the share of public money apportioned to each, 
 amounting to considerably less than half the amount annually 
 required. In the smallest and poorest localities, where educa- 
 tion was most needed, the contributions from the State fund 
 were the most meagre. 
 
 19. On the loth of June, Mr. Robeet Campbell, of Otsego, 
 offered a resolution in the convention inquiring into the pro- 
 priety of a constitutional provision for the establishment of 
 such a system of common schools as would enable every child 
 in the State to secure the benefits of a good education. This 
 resolution, with a memorial on the same subject from the State 
 Convention of countj- superintendents, was referred to the Educa- 
 tional Committee. 
 
 Common-School, Literature, and Deposit Fnnd.s. — Incorpov.ition of 
 cities .md villajies. — Provision for future amendments. — Efforts for the 
 establishment of free schools. 
 
ADOPTION OF THE NEW CONSTITUTION. 209 
 
 20. On the 22d of July, Mr. Nicoll, of New York, Chairman 
 of that Committee, reported to the Convention a series of reso- 
 lutions declaring the iuviokbility of the Common-School, Litera- 
 ture, and United States Deposit Funds, and providing for the 
 establishment by the Legislature of a system of free schools for 
 the education of every child between the ages of four and sixteen 
 years, whose parents were residents of the State. 
 
 21. On the 8th of October, the day preceding the final ad- 
 journment of the Convention, this provision was adopted as a 
 part of the Constitution, by a close vote of 57 to 53, and with 
 the remainder of the resolution ordered to be engrossed as such. 
 After a temporary recess, on the reassembling of the Convention 
 in the afternoon, the portion of the resolution providing for 
 the establishment of free schools was, on the motion of Mr. 
 Arphaxed LooMis, of Herkimer, stricken out, and the residue 
 of the article only retained. 
 
 22. The November elections resulted in the election of John 
 YouxG, of Livingston, the Whig candidate for Governor, by a 
 majority of upwards of eleven thousand votes over Governor 
 "Wright, and the re-election of Addison Gardiner, of Monroe, 
 the Democratic candidate, for Lieutenant-Governor, over Hamil- 
 ton Fish, of New York, by thirteen thousand majority. The 
 majority in favor of the adoption of the new Constitution was 
 about 130,000. 
 
 23. On the 24th of December of this year. General Erastus 
 EooT, of Delawai-e, died in the city of Xew York, whither he 
 had gone on a visit. For nearly half a century he had taken an 
 active part in public life, and had occupied at different times 
 many prominent positions in the State and national govern- 
 ments. As a member and presiding officer of both branches of 
 the State Legislature during a long period, as Lieutenant-Gov- 
 ernor of the State, and member of the House of Representatives 
 of the United States, he was distinguished for ability in de- 
 bate, inflexible honesty, and great executive and administrative 
 power. 
 
 Election of .Tohn Youdg; as Governor .ind AdJison Ganlincr .as Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor. — Adoption of the new Constitution. — Death of Erastus 
 Boot. 
 

 state Hall at Albany. 
 
 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE CONSTITUTION OF 18^6 TO THE PRES- 
 ENT TIME. 
 
 184 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ADMlN-ISTRATIOy OF JOHN YoUNG. — MEXICAN WaR. — GeNEKAL PaR- 
 
 DO>- OF Anti-Rent Prisoners. — Death op Governor Wright. 
 
 1. Subsequently to the annexation of Texas as one of the 
 States of the Union, the spoliations committed on the 
 commerce of the United States by j\Ie.\ico, and the refusal 
 or neglect of her government to make adequate compensation 
 for the injuries thereby suffercil by our citizens, together with 
 the display of a militarj' force on the Rio Grande, led to the de- 
 claration of war against that nation. During the past year, 
 active preparations for hostilities had been commenced in every 
 
PEACE WITH MEXICO. 271 
 
 section of the Union, and an appropriation of the necessary 
 funds made by Congress for its efficient prosecution. The vic- 
 tories of Palo Alto, Eesaca de la Palma, Montercj', and Buena 
 Yista, had been gained by ilajor-Gcnerals Tayloe and John E. 
 AVooL. Major-General Scott was marching upon the capital, 
 with tlie gallant General Worth and his brave compatriots, 
 and New Mexico and California had been conquered by General 
 Kearney and Captain Jonx C. Fremont. 
 
 2. President Polk, during the session of Congress of 1846, 
 had requested an additional appropriation of two millions of 
 dollars for the negotiation of a peace between the two nations, 
 based upon the cession by Mexico of California, in discharge of 
 the demands of our government. As a condition of this gi-ant, 
 ilr. David Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, proposed a resolution, that, 
 in the territory so to be purchased, neither slavery nor involun- 
 tary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, should be per- 
 mitted to exist. 
 
 3. Early in the session of 1847 this proviso was renewed by 
 Preston King, of St. Lawrence, one of the representatives from 
 New York, fortified by a joint resolution of both Houses of the 
 Legislature of that State, passed by a nearly unanimous vote. 
 An appropriation of three millions of dollars was, however, made 
 by Congi'ess, without the incorporation of this clause, notwith- 
 standing the vote of the New York delegation in the House of 
 Representatives, with one exception, and Senator Dix, in its favor. 
 
 4. Governor Young, in his annual message to the Legislature, 
 reviewed the general condition of the State in its various depart- 
 ments, and, among other things, recommended the adoption of 
 early measures to carry into effect the provisions of the new 
 Constitution for the appointment of commissioners to reform, 
 simplify, and abridge the rules and practice, pleadings, forms, 
 and proceedings of the several Courts of Eecord in the State. 
 He also earnestly urged the requisite appropriations for the com- 
 pletion of the Erie Canal enlargement and the construction of 
 the Genesee Yalley and Black Ptiver Canals. 
 
 5. Soon afterwards a proclamation was issued by him recapitu- 
 
 1"ho ilcxican War. — Brilliant campaigns of Generals Taylor and Scott. 
 — Nc;:;otiations for peace. — The Wilmot Pi'oviso. — Proceedings of the 
 Legislature. 
 
272 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 lating the origin and progress of the Anti-Kent controversy : and 
 granting a full pardon to the prisoners convicted in Columbia 
 and Delaware Counties, two of whom had been sentenced to 
 death, and their punishment been commuted by the late Gover- 
 nor to imprisonment for life. This proclamation was based 
 chiefly upon the gi'ound that the offences for which the punish- 
 ments were inflicted were political offences ; and the occasion 
 and excitement attending their commission having passed over, 
 public policy no longer demanded a continuance of the penalty. 
 Fifty-four persons, including those capitally convicted, were dis- 
 charged under this proclamation. 
 
 G. On the 7th of May an act was passed authorizing the es- 
 tablishment of a Free Academy in the city of New York, with 
 the concurrence of a majority of the legal voters in said city, 
 which was at once procured, and the Academy was organized 
 during the ensuing year under the presidency of Dr. Horace 
 Webster. Under the provisions of an act passed during the 
 preceding year, schools for the instruction of Indian children 
 were organized on the Onondaga, Cattaraugus, Alleghany, and 
 St. Regis Reservations. Schools were also authorized to be 
 established in the principal cities and large towns, for the 
 separate instruction of colored children, in which about five 
 thousand of this class of children were gathered, — the resi- 
 due being instructed in the ordinary district schools of the 
 State. On the 7th of June an act was passed providing for 
 the immediate resumption of the public works. 
 
 7. In the mean time the strong fortress of San Juan d'Ulloa 
 at Vera Cruz had been captured by the forces under General 
 Scott, and General Worth appointed Military Governor ; the 
 Mexican fortresses of Chihuahua, Cerro Gordo, Jalapa, and Pe- 
 rote, the city of Puebla, the village of Cherubusco, the fortified 
 camps at National Bridge, Contreras, San Antonio, Molino Del 
 Roy, and the castle of Chapultepec, captured ; and on the 14th 
 of September the citj' of Mexico was entered by the American 
 troops, and tlie war soon after terminated by the cession of Cali- 
 
 Piivdon tn the Anti-Rent convicts. — Gronnds of executive clemency. — 
 New Yorli Free Academy. — Indi.in .iml colored schools. — Resumption of 
 the public works. — Termination of the Mexican War. — Cession of Cali- 
 fornia. 
 
DEATH OF SILAS WRIGHT. 273 
 
 fomia for the sum of fifteen millions of dollars. The part taken 
 in all these victorious conflicts by the officers and troops of the 
 State of ^vTew York Avas eminently creditable to the bravery and 
 valor of its citizens. 
 
 8. On the 2 7th of August, Governor Weight suddenly expired 
 from disease of the heart, at his residence in Canton, St. Law- 
 rence County. Since his retirement from the Executive Depart- 
 ment he had devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, and had 
 just completed an address to be delivered before the State Agri- 
 cultural Society, at Saratoga Springs, in September, which was 
 read on that occasion by his friend, General Dix. The highest 
 honors were paid to his memory by the various municipal au- 
 thorities, and a special message communicated to the Legislature 
 at its September session by Governor Young, followed by reso- 
 lutions of the two Houses expressive of their sorrow for his loss. 
 Similar honors were paid by various State legislatures through- 
 out the Union. 
 
 9. Few abler or more gifted statesmen have graced the coun- 
 cils of the State and nation than Silas Wright. His strict and 
 unwavering integrity, his clear comprehension of the various 
 important questions upon which he was from time to time re- 
 quired to pass, his marked simplicity of character and deport- 
 ment, and his superior qualifications as a political leader, made 
 a profound impression upon the public mind, and endeared his 
 memory to the hearts of his countrymen. 
 
 10. As a leading member of the State Senate, State Comp- 
 troller, L'nited States Senator, and Governor, he was eminently 
 distinguished for intellectual ability, uncompromising integrity, 
 great suavity of manners, and a persuasive and convincing elo- 
 quence. Although he had repeatedly and firmly declined the 
 nominations to the two highest offices of the national govern- 
 ment, no statesman in the Union, at the period of his death, 
 occupied a more prominent position in the public view, or pos- 
 sessed a larger share of the public confidence. 
 
 11. At the November election the Whig party again car- 
 ried the State by a large majority. Lieutenant-Governor Gardi- 
 ner having resigned his position for a scat on the bench of the 
 
 Death of Silas Wright. — Public honors to his memory — His character. 
 18 
 
274 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 Court of Appeals, Hamilton Fish, of New York, was chosen in 
 his place ; Christopher Morgan, of Cayuga, was elected 
 Secretary of State and Superintendent of Common Schools ; 
 Millard Fillmore, of Erie, Comptroller ; and Ambrose L. Jor- 
 dan, of Columbia, Attorney-General. Addison Gardiner of 
 Monroe, Gkeexe C. Bronson of Oneida, Freeborn G. Jewett 
 of Onondaga, and Charles H. Kuggles of Dutchess, were 
 elected judges of the Court of Appeals. 
 
 12. On the 13th of November the Legislature, at its special 
 session, passed an act abolishing the office of County Superin- 
 tendent of Common Schools, mainly, it is believed, from the in- 
 judicious selections of many of that class of officers, by the 
 several County Boards of Supervisors, and the obnoxious mode 
 in which its duties were discharged by incompetent officers. 
 The effect of this measure, demanded, as it undoubtedly was, 
 by the popular sentiment, was, nevertheless, highly disastrous 
 to the prosperity of the common-school system. 
 
 13. On the first Tuesday of January, 1848, the Legis- 
 lature again assembled, and Governor Young, in his mes- 
 sage, after alluding to the general condition of the State, 
 briefly reviewed the history of the manorial disturbances, and 
 recommended the institution of legal proceedings in behalf of 
 the State, to test the validity of the titles claimed by the land- 
 lords. He also called the attention of the Legislature to the 
 importance of the State system of public instruction. " Com- 
 mon Schools," he observed, "from their universalitj' reaching 
 every neighborhood and shedding their influence upon every 
 family and into every mind, expelling the primary causes of 
 vice and crime, and erecting altars to patriotism and virtue, 
 have justly been considered the peculiar objects of legislative 
 care." 
 
 14. The sum of one million of dollars was appropriated for 
 the enlargement of the Erie and the completion of the Gene- 
 see Valley, Black River, and Chemung Extension Canals. Gen- 
 eral acts were also passed, authorizing the formation of railroad, 
 
 State officers. — Aholition of the office of County Superintendent of Com- 
 mon Schools. — Its effects. — Governor's message. — Manorial titles. — 
 Common schools. — Appropriations for resumption of the public works. — 
 General laws for corporate companies and associations. 
 
FREE SCHOOLS. 275 
 
 gas, bridge, telegraph, and manufacturing companies, and asso- 
 ciations for charitable, benevolent, missionary, and scientific pur- 
 poses. 
 
 15. The late Superintendent of Common Schools, Secretary 
 Bexton, in his annual report, adverted to the extension of the 
 Free-School system, by the establishment, in many of the most 
 important cities and villages of the State of schools, of this de- 
 scription, and urged the importance of its adoption throughout 
 the State, by means of a uniform system of taxation. The 
 operations of the State Normal School had been thus far 
 eminently successful. On the 1st of January, however, of the 
 present year, it sustained a severe loss by the death of its 
 Principal, David P. Page, who had administered its affairs with 
 signal ability and usefulness. He was succeeded by Professor 
 George R. Perkins, of Utica, who had heretofore the charge of 
 its mathematical department. 
 
 1 6. At the annual election in November, Lieutenant-Governor 
 Hamiltox Fish, of New York, was elected Governor, and 
 George W. Patterson, of Livingston, Lieutenant-Governor. 
 The presidential election resulted in the choice of General 
 Zachary Taylor, of Louisiana, the hero of the Mexican War, 
 as President, and Millard Fillmore, of New York, as Vice- 
 President, by a majority of thirty-six electoral votes over Lewis 
 Cass of Michigan for the former, and William 0. Butler of 
 Kentucky for the latter office. Martin Van Buren, of New 
 York, was supported for President, and Charles Francis Adams, 
 of Massachusetts, for Vice-President, by the Free-Soil Demo- 
 crats of the Union. 
 
 Free schools. — State Normal School. — Death of Principal Pace. — Elec- 
 tion of Governor Fish and Lientenant-Govemor Patterson. — Zachary Tay- 
 lor elected President, and Millard Fillmore, Vice-President. — Free-Soil 
 Dominations. 
 
276 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Admixisteation of Hasiilton Fish. — The Peee-School Cos- 
 troveksy. 
 
 1. At the opening of the legislative session of 1849, Gov- 
 ernor Fisii, after adverting to the general condition of the 
 State, called the attention of the Legislature to the liberal 
 
 bequest of four hundred thousand dollars by John Jacob Astor, 
 of the city of Xew York, for the foundation and perpetual sup- 
 port of a free public library, and recommended the necessary 
 legislation for giving validity to the munificent donation of the 
 testator. He also recommended the endowment by the State of 
 an Agricultural school and a school for instruction in the me- 
 chanic arts ; the improvement and extension of the laws for the 
 protection of emigrants, the restoration of the office of County 
 Superintendent of Common Schools, the establishment of Tribu- 
 nals of Conciliation, and a modification and amelioration of the 
 criminal code. 
 
 2. The Legislature, in accordance with the recommendation of 
 the Governor, adopted a concurrent resolution authorizing the 
 appointment of a Board of Commissioners to mature a plan for 
 the establishment of an Agricultural College and Experimental 
 Farm, and submit a detailed report of such plan at the ensuing 
 session. Strong resolutions were also passed declaring the un- 
 alterable determination of the people of the State to resist the 
 extension of slavery over territories now free. 
 
 3. The Superintendent of Common Schools (Hon. Cheisto- 
 PHEE Morgan, Secretary of State), in his annual report, strongly 
 urged the adoption by the Legislature of a system of Free 
 Schools, based upon the imperative duty of the State to secure 
 the means of education to every child within its borders, as a 
 preventive of crime and pauperism, an incentive to industry and 
 usefulness, and a proper preparation for the discharge of the 
 various duties to be devolved upon them as futiire citizens. 
 
 4. On the 2Gth of ilarch a bill passed both Houses for the 
 
 Governor's message. — Proceedings of the Legislature. 
 
STATE FREE SCHOOL:^ ESTABLISHED. 277 
 
 Establishment of Free Schools throughout the State, to be 
 supported by the public funds set apart for that purpose by the 
 Constitution, and by county, town, and school-district taxation, 
 for any sutn required beyond these funds, for the building of 
 suitable school-houses, and the instruction of every child be- 
 tween the ages of five and twcntj--one years for a period of at least 
 four months in each year. This bill was required to be sub- 
 mitted to the electors of the State for their ratification at the 
 ensuing November election. 
 
 5. An act was also passed on the 30th of March, appropriat- 
 ing an annual sum of two hundred and fifty dollars to such 
 academies iu the State, designated by the Regents of the Uni- 
 versity, as should instruct at least twenty of their pupils in the 
 science of common-school teaching for a period of four months 
 during the year. Ex-Governor William H. Seward was, in 
 February, elected United States Senator, in place of General 
 John A. Dix, whose term had expired. 
 
 6. At the November election, Christopher Morgan, of 
 Cayuga, was re-elected Secretary of State; Washington Hunt, of 
 Niagara, Comptroller; and Samuel Stevens, of Albany, Attor- 
 ney-General. The act for the establishment of free schools 
 throughout the State was approved by a majority of 158,000 
 votes ; every county in the State, with the exception of Tomp- 
 kins, Chenango, Cortland, and Otsego, giving majorities in its 
 favor. Previous to the official announcement of this result, the 
 Boards of Supervisors in nearly half the counties had adjourned, 
 without making the necessary appropriations for carrying the 
 provisions of the law into elFect, throwing the entire burden of 
 the support of the schools for the ensuing year on the respective 
 school districts. 
 
 7. This heavy deficiency of funds, together with the great 
 inequality of taxable property in the several districts, and the 
 burdens thereby imposed upon the wealthy inhabitants, ren- 
 dered the execution of the law exceedingly oppressive, and 
 created a strong revulsion in the popular sentiment, which 
 
 Act for the establishment of free schools throughout the State. — Teach- 
 ers' Department in Academies. — United States Senator. — State elections. 
 — Approval of the Free-School Bill. — Obstacles to its execution. — Causes 
 of its unpopularity. 
 
278 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 manifested itself in numei'ous petitions and memorials to the 
 Legislature of 1850 for a repeal or modification of the aot. 
 Some of the courts also held its provisions unconstitutional, 
 by reason of the submission to a popular vote. The Attorney- 
 General, however, dissented from this opinion ; and no decision 
 was finally pronounced on appeal. 
 
 8. The utmost efforts were made by the friends of the law 
 to secure its favorable consideration, notwithstanding the un- 
 avoidable obstacles to its immediate operation. The almost 
 entire unanimity with which it was adopted by the Legislature 
 and sanctioned by the popular vote, its intrinsic justice and 
 beneficent results in opening the common schools to every 
 child, without discrimination or restriction, and the paramount 
 importance of the principles involved in its enactment, were 
 ably and eloquently urged in every section of the State. The 
 rural districts were, however, almost unanimously determined 
 to effect its unconditional repeal. 
 
 9. At the opening of the session in January, 1850, 
 Governor Fish renewed his recommendations of the pre- 
 ceding year, urged the propriety of establishing a State asylum 
 and school for the instruction and care of idiots, and the passage 
 of suitable laws for the regulation of railroad companies and the 
 comfort and convenience of passengers. In conclusion he re- 
 viewed the progress of the discussions in Congi'ess in reference 
 to the admission of California and the new territories acquired 
 from Mexico, and expressed the unalterable determination of the 
 State to resist, by all legitimate and constitutional means, the 
 introduction of slavery into any of the territories of the United 
 States where it had not already obtained a footing. 
 
 10. Several bills were introduced in each House for the repeal 
 or modification of the Free-School Law of the preceding session. 
 Able reports were presented by Mr. Beekman in the Senate and 
 Mr. KiNGSLEY in tlie Assembly ; and Mr. Burroughs, of Orleans, 
 Chairman of the Committee on Colleges, Academies, and Com- 
 mon Schools of the House, introduced a bill providing for the 
 levy of a State tax of % 800,000 annually for the support of the 
 
 Demand for repeal. — Efforts of its friends. — Governor's message. — 
 State asylum for idiots. — Railroad restrictions. — Slavery in the territories. 
 — Bills for the repeal of the Free-School Law. 
 
DEATH OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR. 279 
 
 common schools, after applying the revemies of the funds set 
 apart for that purpose. This bill passed the Assembly by a 
 strong vote, but failed in the Senate. An act referring the 
 question of the repeal of the existing law to the people at the 
 Xovember elections was finally adopted by both Houses. 
 
 11. During the session an act was passed providing for the 
 establishment of an asylum and school for the care and instruc- 
 tion of idiots, to be located at Syracuse. This institution was 
 accordingly completed and organized under the direction of Dr. 
 Wilbur, and its preliminary operations were crowned with the 
 most gratifying success. 
 
 12. On the 9th of July, Zachary Taylor, the President of 
 the United States, died at Washington, and was succeeded by 
 Vice-President Millard Fillmore. Upon the question of the 
 admission of California as a State, the series of measures known 
 as the " Compromise Bill," introduced by Mr. Clay of Ken- 
 tuckj-, were passed in July, admitting that State without re- 
 striction as to slavery, leaving the new territories acquired from 
 Mexico on the same basis, and providing for a more stringent 
 execution of the Fugitive-Slave Law. 
 
 13. The friends of free schools, after the most strenuous and 
 persevering, though fruitless, efforts to obtain such amendments 
 or modification of the act of 1849 as might render its provisions 
 generally acceptable, determined, under these circumstances, to 
 oppose its unconditional repeal. A State Convention was held 
 at Syracuse in July, Mr. Morgak, the Superintendent, presid- 
 ing, at which resolutions to this effect were adopted, accom- 
 panied by a pledge to unite in any effort to amend and perfect 
 the details of the existing law. 
 
 14. An animated and vigorous canvass ensued throughoiit 
 the State between the opponents of the act, who demanded its 
 unconditional repeal, and the advocates of the principle of 
 universal education through schools free to all, without regard 
 to the details of the existing bill. So obnoxious were these 
 provisions, however, in the rural districts of the State, that at 
 the fall elections forty-two of the fifty-nine counties returned an 
 
 Death of President Taylor. — Succession of Vice-President Fillmore. — 
 Admission of California. — " Compromise Bill " of Mr. Clay. — Free-school 
 canvass. 
 
280 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 aggregate majority of nearly forty-nine thousand votes for its 
 repeal, -nhile in the seventeen remaining counties, including the 
 city and coimty of New York, a majority of seventy-two thousand 
 against repeal was given, — leaving a majority of about 25,000 
 votes in favor of the bill. The majority in New York City alone 
 was 37,827. 
 
 15. Washington Hunt, of Niagara, the late Comptroller, was 
 elected Governor by a majority of about two hundred votes over 
 Horatio Seymour of Oneida ; and Sanford E. Church of 
 Orleans, the candidate of the Democratic party, was elected 
 Lieutenant-Governor. 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 Administration of Washington- Hunt. — Modification of the 
 Free-School Law. — Erie Canal Enlargement. — AcRicuLrnRAL 
 College. 
 
 1. Governor Hunt, in his annual message to the Legislature 
 of 1851, after adverting to the general condition of the 
 State, invited the attention of the Legislature to the sub- 
 ject of common-school education, regarding the decision of a ma- 
 jority of the electors of the State as conclusive in favor of the 
 principle of free schools, while leaving the details of the 
 system subject to such equitable modification as should render 
 its administration acceptable to all interested in its burdens as 
 well as its benefits. 
 
 2. " It cannot be doubted," he observed, " that all property 
 estates, whether large or small, will derive important advantages 
 from the universal education of the people. A well-considered 
 system whicli shall insure to the children of all the blessings 
 of moral and intellectual culture will plant foundations broad 
 and deep for public and private virtue ; and its effects will be 
 seen in the diminution of vice and crime, the more general 
 practice of sobriety, industr}', and integrity, conservative and 
 enlightened legislation, and universal obedience to the laws." 
 
 Majority against repeal. — Free-school controversy. — Message of the 
 Governor. 
 
CAyALS AXD SCHOOLS. 281 
 
 3. After stating that sixteen millions of dollars had already 
 been expended upon the canals of the State since the com- 
 mencement of the Erie Canal enlargement in 1835, and dis- 
 cussing various plans for the completion of these great worlis at 
 the earliest practicable period, he recommended such an amend- 
 ment to the Constitution as T\-ould facilitate the accomplishment 
 of this object. He also concurred in the recommendation of his 
 predecessor for the organization of a State Agi'icultural College 
 and Experimental Fai'm. 
 
 4. The annual report of Secretary Morgan, as Superintendent 
 of Common Schools, urged upon the Legislature the importance 
 of such an amendment of the existing law establishing Free 
 Schools, as was demanded alilie by justice and expediency, and 
 by an enlightened public sentiment. " The Common Schools 
 of the State," he observed, " should be declared free to every 
 resident of the respective districts of the proper age to par- 
 ticipate in tlieir benefits ; and their support should be made a 
 charge uf)on the whole property, either of the State at large, or 
 of the respective counties and towns in which thcj' are situated." 
 
 5. Numerous petitions were forwarded to the Legislature 
 from different sections of the State for the repeal or amendment 
 of the act. On the sixth daj' of February, ]\Ir. Theodore H. 
 Benedict, of "Westchester, Chairman of the Assembly Com- 
 mittee on Colleges, Academies, and Common Schools, presented 
 an elaborate and able report, accompanied by a bill for the estab- 
 lishment of Free Schools, to be supported by an annual tax of 
 eight h\indrcd thousand dollars, in addition to the funds already 
 pi-ovided by the Constitution, and the raising of any balance re- 
 quired for the support of the schools by a poll-tax on the 
 inhabitants of the respective districts. 
 
 6. llr. Burroughs, of Orleans, from the minority of the Com- 
 mittee, reported a similar bill, providing for a State tax of the 
 same amount, one fourth of which, together with one fourth of 
 all other moneys applicable to the support of common schools, 
 should be equally divided among the several school districts, 
 the residue apportioned according to the number of children of 
 
 Erie C'iinal enlargement. — Proposed amendment to Con.stitution. — 
 Apricultural College and Experimental Farm. — Report of the Sn|icrin- 
 tendent of Common Schools. — Propositions for amendment of tlie laws. 
 
282 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 suitable school age residing in each, and any balance raised by 
 rate-bill on those sending to school, after exempting all indigent 
 inhabitants. In this shape, after substituting one third instead 
 of one fourth for equal distribution among the districts, the 
 bill, on the 12th of April, became a law. 
 
 7. On the first Tuesday of February, Ex-Governor Hamilton 
 Fish, of New York, was appointed United States Senator, in 
 place of Lieutenant-Governor Dickinson, whose term had ex- 
 pired. A joint resolution of the Legislature was also adopted, 
 authorizing the Governor to appoint a Special Commissioner for 
 the codification and revision of the school laws of the State, im- 
 der which provision S. S. Rakdall, Deputy-Superintendent of 
 Common Schools, was appointed. 
 
 8. At the November elections, Henry S. Randall, of Cort- 
 land, was elected Secretary of State and Superintendent of 
 Common Schools ; John C. Wright, of Schoharie, Comptroller, 
 and John Van Buren, of Albany, Attorney-General, with a 
 Democratic majority in the Legislature. In December the ex-- 
 iled Hungarian patriot, Louis Kossuth, arrived in New York on 
 a visit to the United States, and was received with the greatest 
 enthusiasm in all the principal cities and towns. 
 
 9. The message of Governor Hunt, at the opening of the 
 " ' session of 1852, recapitulated the principal recommenda- 
 tions of the preceding year ; stated the entire indebtedness of 
 the State at twenty-two millions of dollars, and the canal reve- 
 nues at $3,700,000, which, after defraying the expenses of re- 
 pairs and maintenance, and contributing upwards of a million 
 and a half dollars to the payment of the principal and interest 
 of the debt contracted for their construction, left a surplus of 
 nearly a million dollars for the completion of the pviblic works. 
 10. The assessed valuation of the State was estimated at 
 81,100.000,000. The capital of the Common-School Fund was 
 six and a half millions of dollars, of the revenues of which, nearly 
 a million and a half had been expended dui-ing the preceding 
 year, in the payment of teachers' wages and the purchase of 
 
 Passacre of the Act. — United States Senator. — Commissioner for revis- 
 ion of school laws. — State officers. — Visit of Kossuth. — Legislature of 
 1852. — Governor's message. — State debt. — Revenues of the canals. — 
 Valuation of taxable propert)'. — Common schools. 
 
SEYMOUR AND CHURCH. 283 
 
 school libraries. The number of pupils in attendance upon the 
 several public schools vas seven hundred and twenty-six thou- 
 sand. 
 
 11. The Governor reviewed the action of the Legislature and 
 the people of the State, in reference to the effort to secure an 
 entirely free system of common schools, and characterized the 
 enactment of the preceding session as a temporary compromise 
 between the advanced views of the advocates of Free Schools 
 and the fears and prejuaices of a majority of the tax-payers and 
 inhabitants of the rural districts, long accustomed to the exist- 
 ing system, and unwilling to sanction its entire abandonment. 
 The progi'ess of public opinion might be relied upon to diffuse 
 a more liberal view of the relations of the State to its future 
 citizens. 
 
 12. At the November elections, Horatio Seymour, of Oneida, 
 was elected Governor, and Saxford E. Church, of Orleans, re- 
 elected Lieutenant-Governor, by a majority of about twelve 
 thousand votes over Governor Hunt and Lieutenant-Governor 
 Patterson ; Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire, was elected 
 President, and AVilliam R. King, of Alabama, Vice-President of 
 the United States, by a large majority, over Lieutenant-General 
 WiNFiELD Scott and William A. Graham, of North Carolina. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 First Admutistration op Horatio Seymour. — Agricultitral Col- 
 lege. — Manorial Titles. — Railroads. — Finances of the State. 
 — Internal Improvements. — Public Schools of New York City. 
 
 1. The Legislature met on the first Tuesday of Janu- 
 ary, 1853. Governor Seymour, in his message, indorsed 
 the recommendations of his predecessor for the adoption of 
 such a constitutional amendment as might facilitate the early 
 completion of the Erie Canal enlargement and the construction 
 of the Genesee Valley, Black River, and Oswego Canals. He 
 
 Election of Governor Seymour and Liciitenant-Oovcrnor Church. — Elec- 
 tion of President Franklin Pierce and Vice-President William R. Kinj;. — 
 Legislative proceedings. — Governor's message. — Canal enlargement. 
 
284 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 also urged the establishment of a State Agricultural and Scien- 
 tific College, for instruction in the practical application of the 
 various branches of science. The suits instituted by the State 
 to test the validity of the several manorial titles having been 
 decided in favor of the landlords, he counselled submission to the 
 laws on the part of the tenants, and such a disposition of their 
 leases as should prove most advantageous to their interests. 
 
 2. An act was passed, in accordance with the recommenda- 
 tion of the Governor and his predecessors, granting a charter 
 for the establishment of an Agricultural College, with an experi- 
 mental farm. Sixty-six railroad companies had been organized 
 under the general provision of the Constitution, and suitable 
 laws were enacted for their regulation and the safety and con- 
 venience of travellers. 
 
 3. A special session of the Legislature was convened by the 
 Governor, immediately upon its adjournment, for the purpose 
 of considering the embarrassed financial condition of the State, 
 the omission to make the necessary appropriations for the sup- 
 port of the government, and adopting the necessary measures 
 for the progress and completion of the public works. An 
 amendment to the Constitution was proposed for the accom- 
 plishment of this object, and an act passed, which was, however, 
 decided by the Attorney-General to be unconstitutional, for the 
 immediate raising of the requisite funds for this purpose. 
 
 4. Immediately upon his inauguration in March, President 
 Pierce appointed Ex-Governor Williaji L. Marct, of New York, 
 Secretary of State, which office he continued to hold during the 
 entire presidential term. On the 1 8th of April, Vice-President 
 KiXG expired at his residence in Alabama, and David R. Atchi- 
 sox, of Missouri, was chosen President of the Senate in his place. 
 
 5. On the 4th of June an act was passed revising and amend- 
 ing the school law of the city of New York, by which the several 
 ward schools of that city and the schools of the Public School 
 Society were consolidated, and a Board of Education established 
 for the general management of the sj-stem, consisting of two 
 commissioners from each ward and fifteen from the Public 
 
 State Apricultural and Scientific CoUefrc. — Manorial titles. — Railroad 
 companies. — Special session of the Lcjrislatnre. — Financial embanass- 
 ments. — Proposed amendment to the Constitution. 
 
AD^JIXISTEATION OF HORATIO SEYMOUR. 285 
 
 School Society, -with local Boards of Trustees and Inspectors in 
 the several ■Nvards. At this time there were 224 ward and cor- 
 porate schools, including those of the Public School Societj"-, 
 with about one thousand teachers and 123,530 pupils on 
 register, with an average attendance of 43,740, together with 
 twenty-five evening schools, with about four thousand pupils. 
 
 6. The Public School Society of that city had been in exist- 
 ence since the year 1805, and from the period of the opening 
 of its first piiblic school in 1809 had, with the aid of a propor- 
 tionate share of the State School Fund, organized and adminis- 
 tered a system of elementary education unsurpassed by any in 
 the country. The time seemed now to have arrived, however, 
 when the necessity for a more extensive system of public in- 
 struction required the dissolution of the society, and the trans- 
 fer of its property to the Boai-d of Education already organized 
 for the accomplishment of the same object, with greater facilities ; 
 and the results have amplj' vindicated the wisdom of their de- 
 termination. 
 
 7. At the November elections, Elias W. Leavenworth, of 
 Onondaga, was elected Secretary of State and Superintendent 
 of Common Schools; James M. Cook, of Saratoga, Comptrol- 
 ler; and Ogdex Hoffman, of New York, Attorney-General. The 
 Republicans obtained a majority in both branches of the Legis- 
 lature. 
 
 8. Governor Setmoue, in his message to the Legislature 
 of the succeeding year, reviewed the history of the State 
 from its early origin, the character and condition of its inhabi- 
 tants, and its rapid advancement in all the elements of wealth 
 and political gi-eatness. The first steamboat had been launched 
 on its waters, — the first canal, at a cost of $ 7,000,000, traversed 
 its breadth, — the earliest and most efficient system of public 
 education originated with its founders, and its patriotism and 
 loyalty to the Union had never swerved. 
 
 9. He renewed his recommendation for the vigorous prosecu- 
 tion of the several unfinished public works of internal improve- 
 ment, and the indorsement of the j)roposcd constitutional 
 
 Public schools of tlie city of New York. — Consolidation of the system. — 
 St.ite officers. — Governor's message. — Review of the history and condition 
 of the State. 
 
286 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 amendment ; suggested various improvements and modifications 
 of the criminal code, and recommended the reorganization of 
 the State militia, and the organization of a Department of Pub- 
 lic Instruction separate from that of the office of Secretary of 
 State. 
 
 10. An amendment to the State Constitution, proposed by the 
 Legislature of the preceding year, was at this session ratified by 
 the requisite vote of both Houses, and by the people at a special 
 election held on the Uth of February, requiring an appropria- 
 tion of an annual sum, not exceeding § 2,250,000, during the 
 ensuing four years, for the enlargement of the Erie, the Os- 
 wego, Cayuga, and Seneca, and the completion of the Black 
 River and Genesee Valley Canals. An act was accordingly 
 passed for the vigorous prosecution and early completion of 
 these works. 
 
 1 1 . During the month of March, a bill was passed creating 
 the office of Supeeixtexdext of Public Instruction, the duties 
 of which had heretofore been devolved on the Secretary of 
 State : and on the 4th of April, Victor M. Rice, of Erie, was 
 elected by joint ballot of the two Houses to fill that position 
 for the ensuing term of three years. By the provisions of the 
 act, the incumbent of the office was also declared ex officio a 
 Regent of the University and chairman of the Executive Com- 
 mittee of the State Normal School. 
 
 12. Since the failure of the free-school law of 1849, and the 
 adoption in 1851 of a modified system, retaining the rate-bill 
 feature, special provisions had been enacted by the Legislature 
 for the establishment of free and union schools in all the cities 
 and principal towns and villages of the State. Departments 
 for the special instruction and preparation of teachers had been 
 organized in most of the academies, and annual county insti- 
 tutes authorized for that purpose throughout the State. The 
 State Xormal School at Albany had also been placed on a per- 
 manent basis. Boards of Education, with local superintendents, 
 
 Prosecuiion of public works. — Rcorffanization of the militia. — Criminal 
 code. — Department of Public Instruction. — Constitutional amendment. — 
 Superintendent of public instruction, — Special lep-i^laiivc provis'tr's for 
 fiee and union schools. — Teachers' departments in academiea. — Xcachurs' 
 institutes. — State Xormal School. 
 
CLARK AND RAYMOND. 287 
 
 were organized under these pi'ovisions in the chief cities and 
 towns of the State. 
 
 13. At the November election, Myron H. Clark, of Ontario, 
 was elected Governor, and Henry J. Kaymond, of New York, 
 Lieutenant-Governor, by a small majority over Governor Sey- 
 mour, the Democratic, and Daniel UUman, the Native-Amei-ican 
 candidates for the former and William H. Ludlow and Gusta- 
 vus A. Scroggs for the latter office, with a Whig majority in 
 both branches of the Legislature. 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 Admikistkatioxs or Mteok H. Clark and John A. King. — Excise 
 Law. — Common Schools. — Controteksy with Virginia. — The 
 Lemmon Case. — County Commissioxeks. — Schools. — State Tax. 
 
 1. Governor Clark, in his first message, took strong 
 gi-ound iu favor of an entire free-school system, the res- 
 toration of the office of County Superintendent, the revision of 
 the excise laws, the prohibition of licenses for the sale of intoxi- 
 cating liquors, and the active prosecution of the unfinished pub- 
 lic works. 
 
 2. He also invited the attention of the Legislature to the pro- 
 gress of a controversy with the Executive and Legislature of 
 Virginia respecting a claim of Jonathan Lemmon, a citizen of 
 that Commonwealth, for damages for the abduction or loss 
 of eight slaves, brought by him to the city of New York in 1852, 
 on his way to Texas, and who were discharged from his custody 
 by one of the judges of the Supreme Court of New Yorlv, on a 
 writ of luibeas corpus, and had escaped to Canada. Proceedings 
 having been instituted before the Supreme Court of the United 
 States for restitution, the Governor recommended the appoint- 
 ment of special counsel to assist the Attorney-General in the 
 defence. 
 
 State elections. — Governor's messafre. — Free schools. — County super- 
 vision. — Excise laws. — Prohibitory restriction of the sale of liquor. — Con- 
 troversy with Virginia. — The Lemmon case. 
 
288 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 3. The Legislature made the requisite prorision for the em- 
 ployment of counsel ; and the case was subsequently argued and 
 dismissed upon the gi'ound of the right of the persons claimed 
 to freedom on being voluntarily brought within the jurisdiction 
 of a free State. An act was also passed for the suppression of 
 intemperance, pauperism, and crime, prohibiting the gi-anting 
 of licenses for the sale of intoxicating liquors, and restricting the 
 traffic in ardent spirits. William H. Seward was re-elected 
 United States Senator for the ensuing term of six years. An 
 act was passed making cities and counties liable for property 
 destroyed by mobs within their borders, and strong resolutions 
 adopted adverse to the aggressions and further extension of 
 slavery. 
 
 4. Tlie Native-American part}' succeeded in carrying the 
 Kovember elections by a triumphant majority. John T. 
 Headly, of Orange, was elected Secretary of State ; Lorenzo 
 Burrows, of Orleans, Comptroller ; and Daniel Ullman, of New 
 York, Attorney-General. 
 
 5. On the assembling of the Legislature in the ensu- 
 ing year, Governor Clark informed the Legislature that 
 upwards of three thousand miles of railroads had been con- 
 structed in different sections of the State, at an aggregate cost 
 of 8125,000,000, and recommended the appointment of State 
 Commissioners for their supervision and control. He renewed his 
 recommendation for free schools and academies throughout the 
 several towns of the State, and the entire abolition of rate-bills. 
 G. During the session, acts were passed for the election, in 
 each Assembly district of the State, of a commissioner charged 
 with the local supervision of the public schools, where special 
 provision for that purpose had not been made. A tax of three 
 fourths of one mill upon each dollar of the assessed valuation 
 of real and personal property in the State, for the support of 
 common schools, was substituted for the existing State tax of 
 eight hundred thousand dollars. 
 
 Froliibitm-y liquor law. — Rc-clcction of William H. Seward as United 
 States Sen.itor. — Destruction of property by mobs. — Resolutions adverse to 
 slavery. — State elections. — Triumph of the Native-American party. — Leeis- 
 latnre of IS.5fi. — Governor's message. — Railroads. — Free schools and 
 acidemias. — State tax for support of schools. — Assembly district commis- 
 sioners. 
 
KING AND SELDEN. 289 
 
 7. At the annual election in November, John A. King, of 
 Queens, was elected Governor, and Henry R. Selden, of Mon- 
 roe, Lieutenant-Governor, over Amasa J. Parlier, of Delaware, 
 the Democratic, and Erastus Brooks, of New York, tlie Native- 
 Amei-ican candidates, with a Republican majority in both 
 branches of the Legislature. Charles H. Sherrill, of Monroe, 
 was chosen Canal Commissioner. James Buchanan, of Penn- 
 sylvania, was elected President, and John C. Breckenridge, of 
 Kentucky, Vice-President of the United States, over John C. 
 Fremont of California and William L. Dayton of New Jersey. 
 Millard Fillmore, of New York, was supported for President 
 by the Native-American organization. 
 
 8. At the meeting of the Legislature in Januarj^, 1857, 
 Governor King in his message estimated the entire cost of 
 
 the canals of the State, extending over about nine hundred miles, 
 at fifty millions of dollars. The value of the real and personal 
 property in the State was stated at $ 2,208,010,609, — the num- 
 ber of acres of improved land at 13,574,479, with about an 
 equal area unimproved — and the population, according to the 
 census of 1855, at about three and a half millions. 
 
 9. He recommended a judicious revision and modifica''ion of 
 the excise law of the previous session, deeming its provisions 
 iinnecessarily stringent and obnoxious to a large portion of the 
 citizens of the State ; the submission of a proposed constitu- 
 tional amendment extending the right of suffrage to colored 
 voters without a property qualification ; the speedy completion 
 of the unfinished public works ; and a strenuous resistance on 
 the part of the Legislature to the further extension of slavery 
 in the territories. 
 
 10. On the second Tuesday in February, Preston King, of 
 St. Lawrence, was elected United States Senator in place of 
 Hamilton Fish, whose term of office had expired. Acts were 
 
 Election of John A. King as Governor and Henry R. ScUIcn as Lientcn- 
 ant-Governor. — Election of President Buchanan and Vice-President Breck- 
 enridge. — Governor's message. — Cost of canals. — Assessed valuation of 
 the State. — Number of acres of improved and unimproved land. — Popu- 
 lation of the State. — Modification of the excise law. — Extension of suf- 
 frage to colored voters. — Slavery in the territories. — United States Sen- 
 ator. 
 
 19 
 
290 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 passed for the suppression of intemperance, and the regulation 
 of the sale of intoxicating liquors, and providing a tax for the 
 speedy completion of the enlarged Erie and other canals. Joint 
 resolutions were adopted, declaring that this State will not allow 
 slavery in her borders in any form or under any pretence, or for 
 any time, however short ; and that the Supreme Court of the 
 United States, in pronouncing the decision in the Dred Scott 
 case, had forfeited the confidence and respect of the State. 
 
 11. On the 4th of July of this year, Ex-Governor William 
 L. Marcy expired suddenly, of disease of the heart, while on a 
 visit to Saratoga Springs. Governor Marcy had successively 
 filled with distinguished ability many of the most important 
 offices in the State and national government. As Adjutant- 
 General, Judge of the Supreme Court, Comptroller, Governor, 
 United States Senator, Secretary of War under President Polk 
 and of State under President Pierce, he had exhibited great ad- 
 ministrative talent and marked statesmanship. Appropriate 
 honors were paid throughout the State to his memory. 
 
 1 2. At the November election, Gideon J. Tucker, of Albany, 
 was elected Secretary of State, Sanford E. Church, of Orleans, 
 Comptroller, and Lyman Trejiain, Attorney-General, with Dem- 
 ocratic majorities in both branches of the Legislature. 
 
 13. Governor King, in his message to the Legislature 
 of 1858, renewed his recommendations of the preceding 
 year ; and after giving a detailed account of the condition of the 
 State in its various departments, concluded by an energetic re- 
 monstrance against the continued aggressions of the slave-power 
 as manifested by its determination to force slavery into the ter- 
 ritories of Kansas and Nebraska at the point of the bayonet. 
 
 14. At the November election, Edwin B. Morgan, of New 
 York, was elected Governor, and Robert Campbell, of Steuben, 
 Lieutenant-Governor, bj' a majority of about seventeen thousand 
 votes over Amasa J. Parker of Delaware and William H. Ludlow 
 of New York, the Democratic candidates. Both Houses of the 
 Legislature were strongly Republican. 
 
 License law. — Tax for speedy completion of the public works. — Death 
 and character of Ex-Crovernor Marcy. — State officers. — Lesislatuvc of 
 1 S58. — Oovernor's messacre. — State elections. — Election of Governor Mor- 
 gan and Lieutenant-Governor Campbell. 
 
Seventh Regiment marching down Broadway. 
 
 CHAPTEE VI. 
 
 Administration or Edwin D. Morgan. — People's College at Ha- 
 vana. — Visit of the Pkince of Wales. — The Southern Rebel- 
 lion. — Attitude of New York. — Patriotic Proceedings of the 
 Legislature. — Enlistment of Volunteers. — Public Meetings. 
 
 1. The first message of Governor Morgan consisted j^^g 
 substantially in a renewal of the recommendations of his 
 predecessor in reference to the vigorous prosecution of the 
 canal enlargements and extensions, the modification of the ex- 
 cise laws, and the full extension of the right of suffrage to 
 colored voters. His views on national affairs were eminently 
 patriotic and conservative in their tendency. While desirous 
 of fulfilling, in their letter and spirit, all the obligations of the 
 Constitution, the citizens of New York could never consent to 
 the further extension of slavery. 
 
 Governor's message. — Modification of the excise laws. — Colored suffrage. 
 
292 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 2. In reviewing the events of the past few years, — the repeal 
 of the Missouri Compromise Act, the flagitious attempts to in- 
 troduce slavery into the teiTitories acquired by the Mexican 
 War, the rigid enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law, aud the 
 systematic aggressions of the slave-power, — it was apparent that 
 the forbearance of the free States had been taxed to their utmost 
 endurance, and that a spirit of conciliation, and the prevalence 
 of more moderate counsels, were absolutely necessary to the con- 
 tinued integrity and harmony of the Union. 
 
 3. The recent invasion of Virginia by John Brown and his 
 associates, its prompt suppression, and the condign punishment 
 of its authors, were reviewed, and regarded as undoubted evi- 
 dence that no designs were entertained on the part of the North 
 to interfere with the institutions of the South, or to sanction in 
 any way any infringement of its territory, or any attempt, by 
 violence or otherwise, to disturb its government. 
 
 4. At the November election, David E. Floyd Jones, of 
 Suffolk, was elected Secretary of State ; Robert Denniston, of 
 Orange, Comptroller ; and Charles G. Myers, of St. Lawrence, 
 Attorney-General. The proposed constitutional amendment in 
 reference to colored suifrage was rejected by a large majority. 
 
 5. On the reassembling of the Legislature, Governor 
 Morgan again invited the attention of the Legislature to 
 the necessity of a speed}- completion of the public works for the 
 advancement and extension of the commerce of the State, and 
 suggested various modifications of the civil and criminal code. 
 He renewed the recommendation of his predecessor for the es- 
 tablishment of an Agricultural and Scientific College. 
 
 6. Acts were passed, during the session, changing the mode of 
 inflicting capital punishment, providing for the extension of the 
 rights of married women and enabling them to hold and convey 
 real and personal estate, and amending and modifying the in- 
 solvent laws. Provision was made for the energetic prosecution 
 of the public works and for the endowment of the People's Col- 
 lege at Havana. During the summer and autunui of this year, 
 
 National affairs. — John Brown's invasion of Virginia. — State officers. 
 — Rejection of colored-suffrage amendment. — Governor's message. — Capi- 
 t il punishment. — Rights of m.nrried womea. 
 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN ELECTED PRESIDENT. 293 
 
 the Prince of Wales, Albert Edward, visited the State under 
 the title of Barou Renfrew, in company with the Duke of New- 
 castle and several members of the British Government, and met 
 with a cordial and enthusiastic rccejDtion from the Legislature 
 and municipal bodies. 
 
 7. The contest for the Presidency during the summer and fall 
 of this year was one of unusual interest and excitement. The 
 struggle on the part of the Southern States for the extension of 
 slavery into the territories recently acquired and organized, and 
 for the definitive settlement of their claims to an equal partici- 
 pation in these territories with the citizens of the Northern por- 
 tions of the Union, w^as waged with a desperate and unyielding 
 pertinacity, and met with an equally determined resistance on 
 the part of their opponents. 
 
 8. The Republican party, representing the views of all those 
 who desired to restrict slavery to its present limits imder the 
 compromises of the Constitution, and to resist its farther exten- 
 sion upon any pretext, placed in nomination, as their candidate 
 for President, ABR.\iiAM Lincoln, of Illinois, with Hannibal Ham- 
 lin, of Maine, as Vice-President. The candidates of tlie South 
 were John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, for President, and 
 General Joseph Lane, of Oregon, for Vice-President ; while the 
 Democracy of the Northern, Middle, and Western States sup- 
 ported Stephen A. Douglas, of Illinois, for the first, and Her- 
 scHEL V. Johnson, of Georgia, for the second office. Lincoln 
 and Hamlin were elected by a majority of fifty-seven electoral 
 votes over all the candidates in opposition. Governor Morgan 
 and Lieutenant-Governor Campbell were re-elected by an im- 
 mense majority, and Samuel H. Barnes, of Chenango, elected 
 Canal Commissioner. 
 
 9. During the whole of the administration of President 
 Pierce, and the early portion of that of his successor, Presi- 
 dent Buchanan, a vigorous effort had been made on the part of 
 the Southern States to introduce slavery into the new territories 
 of Kansas and Nebraska. After a prolonged and bloody strug- 
 
 Viiit of the Prince of Wales. — Presidential anil State election. — Abra- 
 ham Lincoln elected President and Hannibal Hamlin Vice-Proiilent. — 
 Ko-clection of Governor Morgan and Lieutenant-Governor Campbell. — 
 The Kansas and Xebraska struggle. 
 
294 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 gle between the settlers and parties from Missouri on the bor- 
 ders of the territories, the attempt was finally abandoned, and 
 the election of President Lincoln accepted by the South as a 
 distinct intimation of the future policy of the government ad- 
 verse to the extension of the institution be3'ond its existing 
 limits, and a secession from the Union resolved upon as the only 
 remaining alternative. 
 
 10. At the ensuing session of Congress, several futile efforts 
 were made on the part of Southern Senators and Representa- 
 tives, and those who had hitherto politically acted in conjunc- 
 tion with them, to effect some compromise by which slavery 
 should be recognized and tolerated in territories lying south of 
 the Missouri line. The failure of all these propositions deter- 
 mined the course of the Southern States, and, on the 20th of 
 December, South Carolina formally seceded from the Union, and 
 was speedily followed by Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Missis- 
 sippi, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. A provisional govern- 
 ment of the Confederate States was organized at Montgomery, 
 Alabama, on the 4th of February, 1861, arid Jefferson Davis, 
 of Mississippi, elected President, and Alexander H. Stephens, 
 of Georgia, Vice-President. 
 
 11. The Legislature of New York assembled on the 
 2d of January. Governor Morgan's message was tem- 
 perate and conciliatory, recommending a just and honorable 
 settlement of the great national questions at issue, and the 
 repeal, by the State, of all laws coming in conflict w^ith the 
 requisitions of previous congressional legislation on the subject 
 of slavery. These moderate views were soon, however, dis- 
 covered to be not in accordance with the prevailing temper and 
 spirit of the Legislature. 
 
 12. On the 11th of January, joint resolutions were, with 
 almost entire unanimity, adopted by both Houses, declaring 
 that the insurgent State of South Carolina, after seizing the 
 public of&ces and fortifications of the Federal Government, had, 
 by firing upon a government vessel sent to the relief of Fort 
 
 Attempts at compromise. — Secession of tlio Southern States. — Orp:ani- 
 7ation of the Southern Confederacy. — Proceedings of the Legislature. — 
 Joint resolutions for the preservation of the Union. 
 
PATRIOTIC ACTION OF THE STATE. 295 
 
 Sumter, virtually declared war against the United States, and 
 announcing their determination to sustain the war for the 
 preservation of the Union ; tendering at the same time to the 
 President whatever aid in men and money might be required 
 to enable him to enforce the laws and uphold the authority 
 of the Federal Government. These resolutions were directed 
 to be transmitted by the Governor to the President, and the 
 executives of each of the States in the Union. 
 
 13. Xotwithstanding the bold and patriotic stand thus as- 
 sumed by the Legislature, numerous public meetings of mer- 
 chants ar,d others were held in the large cities and towns of 
 the State, and memorials forwarded to Congress expressive of 
 a strong desire for a conciliatory adjustment, by that body, of 
 the questions at issue. On the 24:th of January the Governor 
 transmitted to both Houses resolutions of the Virginia Legis- 
 lature, I'ecommending the assembling of a convention of dele- 
 gates from the several States at Washington, on the 4th of 
 February, with the view of effecting a satisfactory basis of com- 
 promise between the conflicting parties. 
 
 14. On the recommendation of the Governor, the Legislature, 
 on the 1st of February, after full discussion, appointed David 
 Dudley Field, William Curtis Noyes, James S. Wadsworth, 
 James C. Smith, Amaziah B. James, Erastus Coming, Francis 
 Granger, Greene C. Bronson, William E. Dodge, John A. King, 
 and John E. Wool as such Commissioners. The "Peace Con- 
 gress," as it was termed, accordingly assembled at Washington, 
 with Ex-President John Tyler in the chair, and on the 1st of 
 March agreed to a plan of compromise, based upon such an 
 amendment of the National Constitution as should permit the 
 existence of slavery south of the parallel of 36° 30' north 
 latitude, while prohibiting it north of that line. Nine States 
 voted in ftivor of this ^proposition, and eight against it, — the 
 delegation from New York being equally divided in consequence 
 of the absence of one of their number. 
 
 15. On the 3d of February, Ira Harris, of Albany, w^as 
 elected United States Senator, in place of William H. Seward, 
 who had been invited by President Lixcoln to occupy a seat 
 
 Efforts at compromise. — Proceedings of the Peace Congress. — United 
 States Senator. 
 
296 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 in his cabinet as Secretary of State. A monster petition from 
 the merchants and others of New York, with forty thousand 
 signatures, was forwarded to Congress, accompanied by a delega- 
 tion from the Chamber of Commerce of the city of New Yorlt, 
 urging a peaceful settlement of the national diiEculties. 
 
 16. The bombardment and reduction of Fort Sumter, on 
 the 12tli and 13th of April, by the military authorities of the 
 Confederacj-, put an end to all further negotiations for adjust- 
 ment of the controversy, which had now culminated in open re- 
 bellion and civil war. On the 15th of April, President Lincoln 
 issued his proclamation calling for a military force of seventy- 
 five thousand men, of which the quota of New York w^as 
 thirteen thousand, or thirteen regiments, for the suppression of 
 the insurrection. The Legislature promptly authorized the 
 enrolment, by the Governor, of thirty thousand men, and ap- 
 propriated the sum of three millions of dollars for the necessary 
 expenses. 
 
 17. Governor Morgan immediately issued his proclamation 
 for the rendezvous of the State troops at Elmira and New York 
 City ; and on the 16th of April orders were forwarded to the 
 regiments in that city to proceed immediately to Washington. 
 On the 24th an agent of the State was despatched to Europe, 
 with a letter of credit for five hundred thousand dollars, for the 
 purchase of arms. Within the ensuing month thirty thousand 
 men were raised, and by the 12th of July were organized into 
 thirty-eight regiments, properly officered, and furnished with all 
 the necessary arms and equipments for the field. John A. 
 Dix and James S. Wadsworth were commissioned as major- 
 generals. 
 
 18. On the 19th of April the Seventh Regiment of New 
 York, with the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment, left the city 
 for Washington, amid the enthusiastic cheers of a vast crowd 
 of citizens congregated to witness their departure. An immense 
 public meeting, without distinction of party, was held at Union 
 Square on the succeeding day, presided over by Major-General 
 
 Secretary of State. — Petition of merchants for compromise. — Fall of 
 Fort Sumter. — Proclamation of the Pre.5i(lent. — Response of New Yorlc. 
 — Thirty thousand troops in the field. — Major-generals. — Raising and 
 march of troops. 
 
BATTLE OF BULL liU^\ 2 '.7 
 
 Dix, and the most unbounded enthusiasm prevailed. On Sun- 
 day, the 21st, the Sixth, Twelfth, and Seventy-First city regi- 
 ments, comprising three thousand men, departed for Washing- 
 ton, accompanied to the wharves by almost the entire population 
 of the city ; followed, on the 23d, by the Eighth, Thirteenth, and 
 Sixty-Ninth regiments. 
 
 19. Before the 1st of July the banking and other institu- 
 tions and capitalists of the city of New York had advanced to 
 the government upwards of five and a half millions of dollars 
 for the suppoi't of the troops, and individuals had contributed 
 another million. One hundred and twelve regiments, with one 
 hundred and twenty thousand men, had been raised in the State, 
 of which New York City contributed forty-seven thousand. 
 During the year the State had been enabled, through the patri- 
 otic liberality of its wealthy citizens and numerous moneyed in- 
 stitutions, to advance to the United States Government a loan 
 of upwards of two hundred millions of dollars, one hundred and 
 fifty millions of which was contributed by the bankers, capi- 
 talists, and citizens of New York Citj'. 
 
 20. In the mean time the Confederacy had been augmented 
 by the accession of the States of North and South Cai-olina, 
 Virginia, and Tennessee ; its capital removed to Richmond, Vir- 
 ginia ; its government completely organized ; its Constitution 
 adopted, and its Congress in session. The preliminarj- battle of 
 the campaign, at Bull Run, near Fairfax, Virginia, had resulted 
 most disastrously to the national forces ; but the depression 
 consequent upon this unexpected defeat was speedily surmount- 
 ed, a new levy of twenty-five thousand troops for three years 
 ordered by Governor Morgan, and volunteers flocked in thou- 
 sands to the camp of General McClellan at Washington. 
 
 21. In the vigorous prosecution of the war, no division of 
 sentiment at this period existed. All parties united in the most 
 determined eftbrts to crush a wanton and causeless rebellion ; 
 and all previous political differences were forgotten in the patri- 
 otic duties of the hour. The November elections passed over 
 without excitement. Horatio Ballard, of Cortland, was elected 
 
 City of Xew York. — General enthusiasm. — Advance of funds. — Pa- 
 triotism of the people. — Progress of the Confederacy. — Removal of the 
 capital to Richmond. — Battle of Bull Run. — New levy of troops. 
 
298 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 Secretary of State ; Lucius Robinson, of Chemung, Comptrol- 
 ler ; Daniel S. Dickinson, of Broome, Attorney-General ; Wii^ 
 LIA5I B. Lewis, of Kings, Treasurer ; William B. Taylor, of 
 Oneida, State Engineer and Surveyor ; William B. Wright, 
 of Sullivan, Judge of the Court of Appeals ; and Franklin A. 
 Albeeger, of Erie, and Benjamin F. Bruce, of Madison, Canal 
 Commissioners. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Admixistbation or Governor Morgan (continued). — Progress and 
 Terminatios of the Eebellion. — Re-election and Administra- 
 tion of Governor Sey3iour. — Completion of the Enlarged Erie 
 Canal. — Draft Riots in New York. — Conspiracy to born 
 THE City. — Election of Governor Fenton. — Assassination op 
 President Lincoln. 
 
 1. The Legislature again assembled on the first Tuesday in 
 
 Januarj', 1862. Governor Morgan, after a general exposi- 
 tion of the condition of the State, recapitulated the events 
 of the preceding year, and congratulated the Legislature on the 
 spirited and patriotic response of the State to the call of the 
 government for the defence and preservation of the Union. He 
 pledged his own continued exertions and those of his fellow- 
 citizens in the prosecution of the war, and the devotion of the 
 lives, fortunes, and sacred honor of their constituents to the 
 common cause. 
 
 2. During this year the State continued its gigantic exertions 
 in support of the war for the suppression of the rebellion. 
 Under the successive calls of the President for six hundred 
 thousand men, one hundred and twenty regiments were sent 
 into the field, and upwards of three and a half millions of dol- 
 lars were paid for bounties to volunteers, carrying the State 
 war expenditure, including town and county subscriptions, to 
 twenty millions of dollars. 
 
 3. The entire number of regiments sent to the field during 
 the preceding year was one hundred and fifteen, with 120,578 
 
 State officers. — Governor's message. — Prosecution of the war. — Con- 
 tinued support of the government. — Raising of additional troops and money. 
 
GOVERNOR SEYMOUR'S MESSAGE. 299 
 
 men, increased during the present year by recruits for the regu- 
 lar army, volunteers, and enUstments for regiments of other 
 States, to a grand total of two hundred and twenty-five thousand 
 men. The losses of these regiments at the battle of Bull Run, 
 and in other skirmishes during the year, amounted to about 
 twenty thousand, killed, wounded, and prisoners. The entire 
 force in the field was scattered over nine States in forty-three 
 different brigades, and under the command of twelve generals 
 of division, and bore an active part in every engagement with 
 the rebels. 
 
 4. At the opening of navigation in this year, the enlarged 
 canal was completed throughout its whole extent. The total 
 cost of this great work, including the interest on loans made for 
 its construction, amounted to nearly fifty millions of dollars. 
 The foreign exports from the State amounted to $ 111,000,000, 
 and its imports to $ 191,500,000. 
 
 5. At the fall election, Horatio Seymour, of Oneida, the 
 Democratic candidate, was re-elected Governor, and David R. 
 Floyd Joxes, of Suffolk, Lieutenant-Governor, by a majority of 
 about ten thousand votes over Major-General James S. Wads- 
 worth, and Lyman Tremain, the Republican candidates. 
 
 G. Governor Seymour, in his message to the Legisla- 
 ture of 1863, dwelt at great length upon the violation, by 
 Congress and the government, of the rights of the States and 
 the security of persons and property ; traced the origin of the 
 war to a pervading disregard of the obligations of the laws and 
 of the Constitution, a disrespect for constituted authority, and 
 local and sectional prejudices. A spirit of insubordination, he 
 observed, had sapped the foundations of municipal, State, and 
 national authority. 
 
 7. The war, in his judgment, might and should have been 
 averted ; but when its floodgates were opened, the administra- 
 tion was inadequate to grasp its dimensions or to control its 
 sweep. The government was borne along with the current, and 
 struggled as it best could with the resistless tide. Extravagance 
 
 Do O 
 
 and corruption pervaded all its departments, followed by arbi- 
 trary arrests in violation of the Constitution and the laws, dis- 
 
 Corapletion of the Erie Canal enlargement. — Exports and imports. — 
 State election. — Message of Governor Seymour. 
 
300 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 regard of the rights and authority of the State, suppression 
 of public journals, proclamation of martial law, and the at- 
 tempted emancipation of the slaves. 
 
 8. The Union must bo restored in its integrity as it existed 
 before the war. The situation as it stood must be accepted ; 
 our armies in the field must be supported, and all the constitu- 
 tional requirements of the government promptly responded to. 
 Under no circvimstances could a division of the Union be con- 
 ceded. Every policy of conciliation should be exhausted, every 
 inducement to peace offered, every right of the South guaranteed, 
 biit the nation must remain one and indivisible. Ex-Governor 
 Edwin D. ^Iorgas, early in February, was elected United States 
 Senator in place of Preston King, whose term of office had expired. 
 
 9. The aspect of the national conflict with the forces of the 
 rebellion, at the commencement of the month of July of this 
 year, was gloomy and discouraging in the extreme. The Army 
 of the Potomac, under the command successively of Burnside 
 and Hooker, after repeated and disastrous defeats at Fredericks- 
 burg and Chancellorsville, had been compelled to fall back to 
 the north to cover Baltimore and Washington, upon which the 
 troops of General Lee were marching ; Grant was held at bay 
 before Vicksburg, and Banks at Port Hudson ; Rosecrans inactive 
 in Tennessee ; and Hooker, on the eve of a general and decisive 
 engagement in the heart of Pennsylvania, displaced by Meade. 
 
 10. At this momentous crisis, when the salvation and future 
 destiny of the nation hung upon the triumph of our arms, and 
 another defeat would have been irretrievable ruin, the voice of 
 faction was heard over our land from many of its most trusted 
 public men, proclaiming the inevitable failure of the war for the 
 suppression of the rebellion, casting reproach upon the President 
 and his counsellors, depreciating the characters and conduct of 
 the commanders in the field, denouncing the civil and military 
 authorities for their efforts to sustain and defend the country, 
 and exciting the reckless population of our large cities and towns 
 to open resistance to the execution of the laws of Congress and 
 the orders of the President providing for additional recruits to 
 our depleted army. 
 
 Condition of public alTairs. — National reverses. — Factious proceedings. 
 
DRAFT RIOTS IN THE CITY. 301 
 
 11. On the 4th of July, the day succeeding the great -victory 
 of our arms at Gettysburg, and before intelligence of the result 
 Tvas known. Governor Seymour, in an address delivered before 
 a large audience at the Academy of Music in the city of New 
 York, spoke in most desponding terms of the condition of pub- 
 lic affairs, commenting freely upon the folly of persisting in 
 a fratricidal war, entered upon without necessity, and whiuli 
 might easily have been avoided, and solemnlj"^ warning its sup- 
 porters of the peril and wickedness of pursuing a course which 
 might bring the evil of civil war into our own homes. 
 
 12. On the 13th of July, pending the draft in the city, or- 
 dered by the President under the Enrolment Act of Congress, a 
 tremendous and formidable riot w-as commenced at the opening 
 of the drawing at the corner of Third Avenue and Forty-Sixth 
 Street, which convulsed and devastated the city for tliree days 
 and nights without intermission. The military authorities were 
 driven from their station, and compelled to close their books ; 
 the police were overpowered or held at bay ; dwellings, stores, 
 the Colored-Orphan Asylum, and several other public buildings, 
 were burnt and plundered ; numerous brutal and barbarous mur- 
 ders were committed ; and it was only by the final interposition 
 of a body of United States troops, under the command of Major- 
 Gencrals Caxby and Dix and General Haevey Brown, that the 
 riot was, on the fourth day, finally suppressed. 
 
 13. On the second day of its continuance, and while it was in 
 full activity, Governor Seymour reached the city, and after issu- 
 ing his proclamation declaring the city in a state of insurrection, 
 and commanding the restoration of order, immediately repaired 
 to the City Hall, where he addressed an immense crowd of the 
 rioters, informing them that he had sent the Adjutant-General 
 to Washington to confer with the authorities there for the sus- 
 pension of the draft, requiring them to cease their outrages upon 
 persons and property, and quietly to disperse, awaiting the re- 
 sults of his interference in their behalf, upon which they might 
 confidently rely. This appeal, however, was utterly unheeded ; 
 and the Governor found himself compelled to invoke the inter- 
 ference of the military authorities. 
 
 Governor Seymour's Fourth-of-July address. — The draft riots in New 
 York City. — Continuance of the riots. — Interposition of Governor Seymour. 
 
302 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 14. The amount of property destroyed by the rioters on this 
 occasion, for which the city was subsequently held responsible 
 to the owners, was valued at about two million dollars, and not 
 far from a thousand lives were estimated to have been lost. Its 
 fury was not confined to the city, but extended into the suburbs 
 on every side, and to the principal towns and cities on the Hud- 
 son. Through the energetic action of the Recorder, John T. 
 Hoffman, the chief leaders in the riots were promptly tried, 
 convicted, and sentenced in accordance with law. 
 
 15. President Lincoln having declined to suspend the draft, 
 on the application of Governor Seymoue, Major-General Dix, on 
 the 30th of July, addressed a communication to the latter, re- 
 questing his aid, as commander-in-chief of the militia of the 
 State of New York, in the enforcement of that measure. This 
 having been declined, forty-four regiments and batteries of ar- 
 tillery were placed by the United States Government at the dis- 
 posal of General Dix for that purpose ; and a proclamation was, 
 on the 18th of August, issued by Governor Seymour, prohibiting 
 all riotous demonstrations on the part of those opposed to the 
 draft, and denouncing the severest penalties against all persons 
 concerned in such unlawful proceedings. The draft was accord- 
 ingly resumed and completed without further resistance. 
 
 16. The number of volunteers obtained under State author- 
 ity during the year was twenty-five thousand, and upwards of 
 thirty thousand additional recruits were enlisted and drafted 
 under the authority of the United States Government. The 
 whole number of troops raised in the State up to the end of 
 the j-ear was two hundred and ninety-three thousand, of which 
 number two hundred and thirty thousand were enlistments for 
 the period of three years. 
 
 17. On the same day with the termination of the great bat- 
 tle of Gettysburg, Vicksburg was surrendered to General Grant. 
 Port Hudson was soon afterwards evacuated ; and the splendid 
 victories of Chattanooga, Chickamauga, and Lookout Mountain, 
 achieved during the autumn by Grant, Sherman, Hooker, and 
 
 Amount of property destroyed and lives lost. — Renewal and enforcement 
 of the draft. — Enlistments and volunteers. — Number of New York troops 
 in the field. — Surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. — Battles of Chat- 
 tanooga, Chickamauga, and Lookout Mountain. 
 
GOVERNOR SEYMOUR'S MESSAGE. 303 
 
 their gallant associates, diiFused a universal feeling of joy 
 throughout the country. 
 
 18. At the annual election in Novemher, Chauncey M. De- 
 pew, of Westchester, was elected Secretary of State, Lucius 
 Robinson, Comptroller, and John Cochrane, of New York, At- 
 torney-General, by majorities averaging about thirty thousand, 
 together with large Republican majorities in both branches of 
 the Legislature. 
 
 19. The Legislature reassembled on the first Tuesday 
 in January of the succeeding year. Governor Seymour, 
 
 in his annual message, estimated the aggregate revenue of the 
 State canals for the past three years at $17,722,284, leaving 
 a balance of about fourteen and a half millions of dollars, after 
 defraying all expenses of superintendence and repairs. He re- 
 ported the agricultural and educational interests of the State 
 as in a floui'ishing condition, notwithstanding the burdens im- 
 posed by the war. 
 
 20. The President and Congress, he observed, had, by the 
 continued exercise of arbitrary power, supported by the army 
 and navy, and acquiesced in by the people, effected a complete 
 revolution in the government. National bankruptcy and ruin 
 were imminent. The government in its persistent attempts to 
 subjugate the South, in violation of its solemn pledges at the 
 commencement of the war, had failed in the attainment of its 
 ends ; and it remained for a wiser statesmanship to restore 
 peace on a constitutional and conciliatory basis. 
 
 21. A State tax of five and a quarter mills on each dollar of 
 the assessed valuation of real and personal property was im- 
 posed by the Legislature during its session, three fourths of a 
 mill to be applied to the support of common schools, one and a 
 quarter for general purposes, about two for bounties, and the 
 residue for canal expenditures and works of internal improve- 
 ment. 
 
 22. On the 22d of April the Governor communicated a mes- 
 sage to the Legislature, disapproving in strong terms of the 
 joint resolution adopted by the two Houses providing that no 
 distinction should be made in the currency in which tlie domes- 
 Governor's message. — Revenue of the canals. — National affairs. — S tate 
 
 tax. 
 
304 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 tic and foreign holders of State stocks should be paid ; insist- 
 ing that, whatever arrangements might be made for the payment 
 of the former, the faith of the State was irrevocably pledged to 
 redeem its obligations to the latter in specie. These views of 
 the Governor were assented to by the financial authorities of 
 the State, and carried into effect. 
 
 23. Dm-ing the year, 161,604 men were sent into the field by 
 the State authorities, under calls of the President ; making, in 
 all, an aggregate of 437,700 contributed by the State since the 
 commencement of the war. Apprehensions having been enter- 
 tained of a recurrence of riotous proceedings. in the city of New 
 York at the annual November election, Major-General Butler 
 was ordered to the city, and a militai-y force of about seven 
 thousand men placed at his disposal for the preservation of 
 public order. 
 
 24. President Lixcolx was re-elected by an overwhelming 
 majority of the popular and electoral vote over Major-General 
 George B. McClellan the Democratic candidate ; and Andrew 
 JoiixsoN, of Tenuessee, elected Vice-President by a similar vote 
 over George H. Pexdletox, of Ohio. Reubex E. Fenton, of 
 Chautauque, was elected Governor, and Thomas G. Alvord, of 
 Onondaga, Lieutenant-Governor, by a majority of about ten 
 thousand votes over Governor Seymour and Lieutenant-Governor 
 Jones. Both branches of the Legislature were strongly Repub- 
 lican. 
 
 2.5. On the night of the 25th of November, a daring attempt 
 was made by incendiaries to set fire to the principal hotels and 
 public buildings of the city of New York. Robert Kennedy, 
 one of the culprits, was aiTested, tried, and convicted by a 
 court-martial convened by Major-General Dix, and subsequently 
 executed, after making a full confession of the conspiracy, on the 
 part of a number of confederates, to destroy the city. 
 
 2G. During the year a snccession of brilliant victories were 
 acliicved, under the command of Lieutenant-General Grant, on 
 his march from the Potomac to the Confederate capital ; At- 
 
 P.iyment of foreign creditovs. — Increase of enlistments. — Pre.sidential 
 clectioTi. — Ee-clection of President Lincoln, and election of Governor Fen- 
 ton. — Conspiracy to burn the city of New York. — Execution of Robert 
 Kennedy. — Events of 1863-64. — Succession of brilliant victories. 
 
CLOSE OF THE GREAT REBELLION. 305 
 
 lanta M-as captured by the iiTepressible Sherman ; Tennessee 
 was freed from invasion ; and Sherman, co-operating with 
 Gra>'t, commenced his famous march to the sea, terminating in 
 the capture of Cohunbia and Charleston. 
 
 2 7. Governor Fentox, in his annual message in January, 
 18C5, congi-atulated the Legislature on the prosperous con- 
 dition of the State in all its departments, and on the brilliant 
 prospects of a victorious termination of the war through the 
 patriotic energy of the government and the signal ability of our 
 commanders in the field. He transmitted the amendment to 
 the National Constitution proposed by Congress for the abolition 
 of slavery, with an earnest recommendation for its prompt adop- 
 tion. 
 
 28. The spring opened with the defeat of the Confederate 
 Army at Petersburg, Virginia, early in April, followed by the 
 evacuation of Richmond, the dissolution of the Confederate 
 government, the surrender of Lee at Appomattox Court-House 
 on the 9th, that of Johnston at Raleigh on the 14th, the dis- 
 persion of the rebel array, and the flight and capture of the rebel 
 President and his associates. 
 
 29. In the midst of the universal rejoicings over these great 
 events, the nation was astounded by the intelligence of the 
 Assassination of President Lincoln hj John Wilkes Booth, at 
 Ford's Theatre in Washington, on the evening of the 14th of 
 April. A heavy pall of mourning settled over the entire Union ; 
 and while a fearful and speedy vengeance overtook the guilty 
 perpetrators of this gi-eat crime, and a nation was following its 
 mart3Ted chief to his last resting-place, a new administration 
 was inaugurated by the succession of Vice-President Andrew 
 Johnson to the vacant presidential chair. 
 
 30. At the fall election, Major-General Francis C. Barlow, 
 of Xew York, was elected Secretary of State, Thomas Hill- 
 house, of Ontario, Comptroller, and John H. Martindale, of 
 Monroe, Attorney-General, with Republican majorities in both 
 branches of the Legislature. 
 
 Governor Fenton's message. — Defeat of the Confederate Army at Peters- 
 burg. — Surrender of Generals Lee and Johnston. — Termination of the 
 war. — Capture of Jefferson Davis. — Assassination of President Lincoln. 
 — Succession of President Johnson. — State officers. 
 20 
 
306 EIGRTH PERIOD. 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 Administration op Governor Fenton. — Visit of President John- 
 son AND Cabinet, General Grant, and Admiral Farragut. — 
 Adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States 
 Constitution. — Condition and Finances of the State. — Con- 
 stitutional Convention. — Free Schools. — Normal Schools. 
 — Cornell University. — Election of Governor Hoffman. — 
 Fifteenth Amendment. 
 
 1. At the assembling of the Legislature of 1866, Governor 
 1866 ^^^"''°'^' ^ft^i' recapitulating the great events of the preced- 
 ing year and tendering his congratulations on the termi- 
 nation of the war, submitted a general exhibit of the condition 
 of the State, and recommended various measures of internal 
 improvement to the consideration of the Legislature. He paid 
 a high tribute to the exertions, during the war, of the Trustees 
 and managers of the Soldiers' Depot in the city of New York, 
 the members of the Sanitary Commission, Union League, and 
 Ladies' Soldiers' Relief Association, and concluded by a few per- 
 tinent remarks on the reconstruction of the Union. 
 
 2. The proceedings of the Legislature were not marked by 
 any incidents of general interest or importance. 
 
 3. During the session, President Johnson, with Secretary 
 Sewakd and other members of the Cabinet, General Grant, and 
 Admiral Farkagut, visited the capital and city of New York, 
 on their way to the dedication of a monument to the memory 
 of the late Senator Douglas, of Illinois. Their reception by 
 the State and municipal authorities was characterized by the 
 usual formalities and honors. 
 
 4. At the November election. Governor Fenton was re-elected 
 Governor, and Stewart L. Woodford, of New York City, Lieu- 
 tenant-Governor, by a majority of about fourteen thousand over 
 John T. Hoffman of New York and Robert H. Pruyn of Albany. 
 A majority of Republican members were elected to both branches 
 of the Legislature. 
 
 5. Governor Fenton, in his message in January, 1867, 
 called the attention of the Legislature to the necessity 
 
 Governor's meissage. — Re-election of Governor Fenton, and election of 
 Stewart L. Woodford as Lieutenant-Governor. — Governor's message. 
 
CANALS AND SCHOOLS. 307 
 
 of providing additional canal facilities by the construction of an 
 enlarged tier of locks on the line of the Oswego and Erie Canals, 
 from tide-water to the Lakes, admitting the passage of steam- 
 vessels of from five to six hundred tons' burden. This proposi- 
 tion was favorably received by the Legislature, and the neces- 
 sary steps were taken for its adoption. 
 
 6. The Governor also recommended the adoption of the pro- 
 posed Fourteenth Amendment to the National Constitution, 
 providing for the reconstruction of the government of the States 
 recently in rebellion, the abolition of slavery, and equality 
 of rights to every citizen of the Republic. The surplus canal 
 receipts up to the present time were stated at upwards of twenty 
 millions of dollars, applicable chiefly to the payment of the 
 canal debt, the reduction of which was steadily progressing. 
 There were, in the State, 24,527 manufacturing establishments, 
 with an aggregate capital of $ 227,674,187, and a productive 
 return of $463,603,877. A bill providing for the call of a 
 Convention for the amendment of the State Constitution was 
 passed, providing for an election of delegates in April and the 
 assembling of the Convention early in the succeeding June. On 
 the first Tuesday in February, RoscoE Conkling, of Oneida, 
 was appointed United States Senator in place of Ira Harris, 
 whose term had expired. 
 
 7. During the session of the Legislature of this year, an 
 act was passed on the recommendation, and chiefly through the 
 exertions, of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mr. 
 Rice, increasing the State tax for the support of common 
 schools from three quarters of a mill to one miU and a quarter 
 on each dollar of the valuation of real and personal estate, and 
 declaring all the common schools of the State, including the 
 vai'ious academical departments devoted to the instruction and 
 preparation of teachers, and the State Normal Schools, frke to 
 all pupils availing themselves of their benefits. 
 
 8. Additional Normal Schools were now authorized to be es- 
 tablished in Fredonia, Chautauque County; Geneseo, Livingston 
 County ; Brockport, Monroe County ; Cortlandville, Cortland 
 County ; Potsdam, St. Lawrence County ; and Buffiilo, Erie 
 
 Enlarged locks on the Erie and Oswego Canals. — United States Senator. 
 — Free and Xonnal Schools throughout the State. 
 
308 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 County ; in addition to the State Normal School at the capital, 
 and the Primary Normal and Training School at Oswego, 
 which had been organized in 18G3. 
 
 9. On the 4th of June the Constitutional Convention as- 
 sembled at the Capitol in Albany, and organized by the election 
 of William A. "Wheeler, of Franklin, as President, and Luther 
 Caldwell, of Chemung, as Secretary. The usual committees 
 having been appointed for the preparation of business, the Con- 
 vention addressed itself to the performance of the duties de- 
 volving upon it. 
 
 10. The reorganization of the Judiciary occupied a large 
 share of its deliberations, and elicited much able discussion. 
 The regulation of the franchise, the powers and duties of the 
 Executive and the Legislature, and various other proposed 
 modifications of the Constitution, were considered; and the 
 session was prolonged to the termination of the year. 
 
 11. In July and August the Anti-Rent disturbances again 
 broke out in Albany County, rendering it necessary to call out a 
 strong military force for their repression. By this prompt action 
 of the executive authorities all further opposition to the collec- 
 tion of rents from the refractory manorial tenants was suppressed, 
 and the principal offenders were arrested and committed for trial. 
 
 12. At the November election. Homer A. Nelson, of Dutch- 
 ess, was elected Secretary of State ; William F. Allen, of 
 Oswego, Comptroller ; and Marshall B. Champlain, of Alle- 
 gany, Attorney-General. A majority of the members elected 
 to the Assembly were Democrats, while the Senate remained 
 Piepublican. 
 
 13. The Legislature reassembled on the first Tuesday 
 in January, 1868. William Hitchman, of New York, 
 was elected Speaker. Governor Fbnton informed the Legis- 
 lature that the debt of the State, deducting the balance 
 of the sinking fund for the discharge of the canal debt, was 
 S 44,114, .592. The aggregate valuation of its real and personal 
 estate was stated at $ 4,500,000,000, that of real estate alone 
 being estimated at upwards of nine hundred millions. Of the 
 
 Conftitutioiial Convention. — Renewal of Anti-Rent distnrlmnces. — State 
 ofKcers. — Governor's message. — State debt. — Valuation of real and per- 
 sonal estate. 
 
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. 309 
 
 entire area of the State, consisting of 28,297,142 acres, sixteen 
 million of acres were under cultivation. 
 
 14. The amount of public funds applicable to common-school 
 education was about one and a half millions of dollars, to which 
 ^i■ere added, from local taxation and other sources, about seven 
 and a half millions, making an aggregate of about nine millions 
 of dollars. Aliout five millions of dollars were annually paid 
 for teachers' wages ; nearly two millions for the purchase of 
 sites and the building of school-houses ; twenty-five thousand 
 for school libraries ; and upwards of two hundred thousand for 
 apparatus, text-books, and supplies for the various schools. 
 Early in February, A beam B. Weaver, of Oneida, was elected 
 Superintendent of Public Instruction in place of Victor M. Rice. 
 
 15. The Constitutional Convention reconvened early in Janu- 
 ary at the City Hall in Albany, which had been placed at its 
 disposal during the session of the Legislature, and resumed its 
 discussions and deliberations. Various proposed amendments 
 to the Constitution were considered and adopted, and the entire 
 instrument, as modified, reported to the Convention for its final 
 adoption and submission to the people through the action of the 
 Legislature. 
 
 16. By the provisions of the proposed Constitution, the right 
 of suffrage was conferred on aU male inhabitants of the age of 
 twenty-one years and upwards, without distinction of color ; the 
 payment of the Canal and other State debts secured ; the term 
 of oifice of Senators extended to four years ; the Assembly in- 
 creased to one hundred and thirty-nine members ; the Court of 
 Appeals organized with a Chief-Justice and six Associate Judges : 
 the existing Supreme Court organization retained, with certain 
 additional provisions for the despatch of business, — the judges 
 to be chosen by the people, and to hold their offices for fourteen 
 years, or until they attain the age of seventy years. Provision 
 was also made for submitting to the people, in 1873, the question 
 whether such judges should continue to be elected, or whether 
 the position should be filled by appointment. The remaining 
 provisions were substantially the same as those of the Constitu- 
 tion of 1846. 
 
 Educational statistics. 
 
310 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 17. During the summer of this year, the Cornell University, 
 the charter of which was obtained in 1862, and which was en- 
 dowed by Congress with the avails of one million of acres of 
 public lands, and by liberal benefactions from its founder, Ezra 
 CoRXBLL, chiefly for the purpose of a practical education in agri- 
 cultural and mechanical science, was opened under favorable 
 auspices at Ithaca. 
 
 18. At the November election, John T. Hoffman, Mayor of 
 New York, was elected Governor, and Allen C. Beach, of Erie, 
 Lieutenant-Governor, by a majority of nearly thirty thousand 
 votes over John A. Griswold, of Rensselaer, and the Republican 
 candidate for Lieutenant-Governor. The RepubUcans, however, 
 secured a majority of the Legislature. Ulysses S. Grant, of 
 Illinois, was elected President, and Schuyler Colfax, of Indiana, 
 Vice-President, of the United States, by large electoral majorities, 
 over Horatio Seymour, of New York, and Frank P. Blaik, of 
 Missouri, the candidates of the Democratic party. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Administration of Governor Hoffman. — Finances and Condition 
 op THE State. — Common Schools. — Public Schools and Gov- 
 ernment OF New York City. — Rejection of the New Constitc- 
 tion. — Jddiciary of the State. 
 
 1. Governor Hoffman, in his annual message to the Legis- 
 
 lature of 1869, reviewed the financial condition of the State 
 and that of its various literary and charitable institu- 
 tions, and suggested such alterations and modifications of the 
 laws as in his judgment the public interest required. The bal- 
 ance due on the State debt, after applying the avails of the 
 sinking fund, was $38,864,448.74, and would probably be ex- 
 tinguished within a few years. 
 
 2. The Common-School Fund amounted to % 10,.500,000, of 
 
 Election of Governor Hoffman and Lieutenant-Governor Beacli. — Elec- 
 tion of President and Vice-President. — Legislature of 1 869. — Gov<'rnor 
 Hoff'man's message. — Finances of the State. 
 
COMMON SCHOOLS. 311 
 
 which five and a half millions had been applied during the past 
 j-ear to the payment of teachers' wages, $26,726 for libraries, 
 $ 234,432 for school apparatus, $ 64,765 for the support of col- 
 ored schools, and two millions of dollars for school-houses and 
 sites. Nine hundred and seventy-one thousand five hundred 
 children were educated in eleven thousand seven hundred and 
 thirty-one districts during the year, and twenty-seven thousand 
 teachers employed, of whom nearly twenty-two thousand were 
 females. Upwards of one million volumes were in the several 
 school libraries. 
 
 3. On the second Tuesday in February, Reuben K Fenton, 
 of Chautauque, was elected United States Senator in place of 
 Edwin D. Morgan, whose term of office had expired. The 
 Fifteenth Amendment to the National Constitution, prohibiting 
 to the several States all discrimination in the exercise of the 
 elective franchise on account of color, was adopted by the Legis- 
 lature, and a bill passed for the submission of the new Consti- 
 tution to the people at the ensuing fall election, the sufirage 
 and judiciary clauses to be separately voted upon. 
 
 4. During the session an important change was made in the 
 Public-School system of the city of New York. The Board of 
 Commissioners, consisting of three members, chosen by the peo- 
 ple from each of the seven districts into which the city had been 
 divided by a previous legislative enactment, was disbanded, and 
 a new board substituted, to consist of twelve persons to be ap- 
 pointed by the Mayor, the political majority of the city to be 
 represented by seven and the minority by five members, and to 
 hold their respective offices until the year 1871, after which 
 their successors were to be elected by general ticket, preserving 
 the same relative political aspect. 
 
 5. At the charter election in December of the previous year, 
 the late District- Attorney A. Oakey Hall had been elected 
 Mayor of the city in place of Governor Hoifman. Twelve Com- 
 missioners of Common Schools were accordingly appointed by 
 him under the act referred to, and early in May organized 
 themselves as a board by the election of Richard L. Larre- 
 MORE as President, and William Hitchman, late Speaker of 
 the Assembly, as Clerk. 
 
 Statistics of the Common Scliools. 
 
312 EIGUTH PERIOD. 
 
 6. The financial affairs of the city had been committed to the 
 charge of Ricuard B. Conxolly as Comptroller, and Peter B. 
 SwEEXET as Chambei-lain, by whom they were ably and faith- 
 fully administered. Samuel B. Garvin, late an Associate Judge 
 of the Superior Court, was appointed District- Attorney in place 
 of ilayor Hall. 
 
 7. At the November election, the Democratic State of&cers 
 were re-elected by a majority of upwards of twenty thousand 
 votes, together with a majority in both branches of the Legisla- 
 ture. The provision in the new Constitution conferring equal- 
 ity of suffrage on the blacks was rejected by a heavy vote, as 
 was also the Constitution itself, with the single exception of 
 the article on the Judiciary, which was incorporated into the 
 existing Constitution as Article Sixth. 
 
 8. The Legislature assembled on the 4th of January, and 
 "William Hitchman, of New York, was re-elected Speaker 
 of the Assembly. Governor Hoffman, in his message, stated 
 the balance duo on the State debt on the 30th of September 
 last, the end of the fiscal year, at S 34,848,000, of which $ 12,- 
 725,211 existed previous to the Kebellion, and the remaining 
 $ 22,000,000 was the unpaid portion of the bounty debt in- 
 curred during the war. He anticipated its entire extinguish- 
 ment within eight years. 
 
 9. The State tax levied during the year amounted to 5f mills 
 on the dollar, on the total valuation of the real and personal 
 estate of the State, distributed as follows : 1^ mills for schools, 
 J of a mill for canals, 2:J for bounties, and \\ for the gene- 
 ral expenses of the State government ; amounting in all to 
 810,463,179.33. The canals yielded a surplus revenue during 
 the year of $3,854,944.59. 
 
 10. The value and importance of the canals to the best and 
 highest interests of the State were dwelt upon, not only in refer- 
 ence to our own interests, but to those of the European States, 
 which were beginning to direct their attention to this mode of 
 internal improvement. They were, in his judgment, especially 
 serviceable as a check upon exorbitant charges of railroad cor- 
 
 Meeting of the Legi.slatnre. — Governor's message. — Finances of the 
 State. — Canal revenues. 
 
C0M3J0N SCHOOLS. 313 
 
 poratious in the transportation of merchandise and agricultural 
 products. 
 
 11. More than six millions of dollars had been paid during 
 the year for teachers' wages in the Common Schools, and nearly 
 two and a half millions for school-houses, sites, repairs, and 
 fm-niture. There were in the State nearly 1,500,000 chil- 
 dren of school age, one million of whom attended the public 
 schools during some portion of the year, and 26,000 were in 
 private schools. 4,200 pupils were in attendance at the six Nor- 
 mal schools. The number of school-houses in the State was 
 11,G98. 
 
 12. "These facts," the Governor observes, " show the great 
 proportions to which our common-school system has grown. 
 There may be defects in it, but, taken as a whole, it commands 
 and receives the hearty commendation and the cordial support 
 of the great body of the people. Under our form of government, 
 in which the voice of the people is so potential, the State has a 
 direct interest in so educating the masses that they may in- 
 telligently understand their duty as citizens ; and no tax should 
 be paid more cheerfully than that which enables all, without 
 reference to station or condition, to acquire the rudiments of 
 a good English education.'' 
 
 1 3. The number of savings' banks in the State was stated at 
 one hundred and twenty-eight, with an aggregate capital of 
 $ 180,000,000. The subjects of prison discipline and insane 
 hospitals were dwelt upon at considerable length. The number 
 of immigrants during the year, landed at the port of New York, 
 was 260,000, being an increase of 46.314 over the year 18G8. 
 Special legislation was discountenanced, and several recom- 
 mendations were submitted for general purposes. 
 
 1 4. A complete revision of the statutes of the State was recom- 
 mended, as were also amendments of the Registry and Election 
 Laws, the Criminal Code, the Excise Laws, and the various pro- 
 visions for commissions in the cities. The message closed with 
 a general and very able discussion of the legislation of Congress 
 on federal affairs, the tariff, and national finances. 
 
 Common schools. — Savings' banks. — Prison discipline. — Insane hospi- 
 tals. — Immigrants. — Special legislation. — Registry and Election Laws. — 
 Excise Laws. — City commissions. — National affairs. 
 
314 EIGHTH PERIOD. 
 
 15. The report of the Adjutant-General showed that the 
 militia or " National Guard " of the State numbered 25,085 offi- 
 cers and privates, comprising three regiments, one battalion, and 
 four troops of cavalry, three battalions and eight batteries of 
 artillery, and forty-seven regiments and three battalions of in- 
 fantry. A reduction of the force to 20,000 was ordered by the 
 last Legislature, and three regiments had already been mustered 
 out of service. 
 
 16. Joint resolutions at an early period of the session were 
 introduced and passed by a strict party vote, withdrawing the 
 consent of the State to the Fifteenth Constitutional Amend- 
 ment, and bills introduced for the accomplishment of the va- 
 rious objects recommended in the Governor's message. 
 
 17. Towards the close of the session an act was passed 
 amending and revising the charter of the city of New York, 
 reorganizing the Police and Fire Departments, and creating a 
 Department of Public Works, a Department of Public Parks, 
 and a Department of Public Charities and Corrections. An act 
 incorporating the Female Normal College of the city of New 
 York was also passed. 
 
 18. During the summer of this year Admiral Faeragut died, 
 while on a visit to his friends in Maine. His remains were 
 brought to the city of New York, where his funeral obsequies 
 were performed, and appropriate respect was paid to his mem- 
 ory in all parts of the country. 
 
 19. At the fall elections. Governor Hoffman and Lieutenant- 
 Governor Beach were re-elected by upwards of thirty thousand 
 majority, both houses of the Legislature remaining Democratic 
 by a small majority. The proposed Constitutional Amendment, 
 loaning the credit of the State for the payment of the Canal 
 Debt, was defeated by a large majority. 
 
 20. The Legislature was organized on the 3d of January, 
 1871, by the re-election of William Hitchman, of New York, 
 as Speaker. 
 
 National Guard — Fifteenth Constitutional Amendment. — Charter of 
 New York City. — Female Normal College. — Death of Admiral Farragut. 
 — Ee-election of Governor Hoffman. — The I^egislature. 
 
View in Central Park. 
 
 CONCLUSION. — GENERAL RECAPITULATION. 
 
 1. Having now completed our labors, we turn to a general 
 survey of the ground over which we have travelled, and a com- 
 prehensive summary of the grand results which during a period 
 of about two centuries and a half have been accomplished within 
 the domains of what is now not improperly termed the " Empiee 
 State " of the American Union. 
 
 2. From a pathless wUdemess, trodden only by the scattered 
 and stealthy footprints of a savage and barbarous race, we have 
 seen it, at first by slow degrees, and then by a rapid progress, 
 covered by the traces of a civilization which has converted the 
 deep primeval forests into cities, towns, villages, and flourish- 
 ing farms, the abodes of luxury, wealth, refinement, and enjoy- 
 ment. 
 
 3. From a little handful of emigrants from Holland, number- 
 ing less than a hundred souls, gathered in two small and ill- 
 
316 CONCLUSION. — GENERAL RECAPITULATION. 
 
 defended forts and block-houses, separated from each other by 
 au interval of a hundred and fifty miles, and surrounded by 
 forty thousand savages, we have seen a population of nearly 
 four millions of inhabitants spring up, clearing the vast wilder- 
 ness from the ocean to the Lakes, and driving before them its 
 primeval possessors, until scarcely a trace of their former great- 
 ness remains. 
 
 4. We have witnessed the failure of the well-meant efforts of 
 the original colonists to impress upon the virgin soil of the 
 western continent the comparatively indolent and apathetic 
 civilization of the " fatherland," with all its sturdy honesty and 
 indomitable integrity, and the reins of empire seized upon by 
 the strong hands and stout hearts of the English invaders, 
 whose vanguards had already reclaimed the bleak and barren 
 coasts of New England. 
 
 5. Then ensued the long and gallantly maintained struggle on 
 the part of the new colonists, aided and strengthened by their 
 predecessors whoso supremacy they had so recently displaced, 
 to assort and maintain their rights, liberties, and privileges 
 against a dominant aristocracj', supported and sustained by the 
 wealth, power, and influence of the greatest and most haughty 
 government in the Old World. 
 
 6. Through a protracted series of difficulties, embarrassments, 
 and obstacles the aroused spirit of liberty steadily maintained 
 its gi-ound against the most fearful odds, until after a century 
 of colonial vassalage, continually protesting and contending 
 against the systematic invasion of their most cherished rights, 
 the hour an-ived for the complete disruption of the galling bond- 
 age under which they had so long and impatiently struggled, 
 and the thirteen united colonies, after a war of seven years with 
 their formidable oppressors, became a free and independent 
 nation. 
 
 7. In this great contest for national existence, New York led 
 the van, and precipitated by her boldness and determined energy 
 the inevitable issvie. It was in her metropolis that the sturdy 
 and iiTepressible " Sons of Liberty " hurled defiance against the 
 minions of tyranny and oppression ; in her tribunals of justice 
 that the freedom of the press was triumphantly vindicated ; 
 and in defence of her towering " Liberty Pole," that, on the 
 
TWO WARS WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 317 
 
 heights of Golden Hill, the first blood of the Eevolution was 
 shed. 
 
 8. And when the contest came, and the trained battalions of 
 European conscripts, commanded by the experienced veterans of 
 English warfare, overran our land, it was the Provincial Con- 
 gress of Xew York which, driven from town to town by the in- 
 vading army, steadily and unflinchingly rallied the brave de- 
 fenders of their homes and hearths to the bloody battle-field, 
 sustained their sinking spirits amid reverses, privations, and the 
 severest suffering, and, while exhausting their means in provid- 
 ing for the wants of their own citizens in the field, freely pledged 
 their resources for the future in behalf of the common cause. 
 
 9. Independence achieved, and its cost to be met in the midst 
 of divided and distracted counsels, with a government hastily 
 improvised and utterly unable to command obedience to its dic- 
 tates except by consent of each of its members, it was New 
 York, the wealthiest and most powerful of all, and, looking only 
 to her own interest, best able to dispense with any other gov- 
 ernment than her own, that promptly came forward, through 
 her most accomplished citizens, to secure the adoption of a Con- 
 stitution which indissolubly linked her destinies with those of 
 her sister States. 
 
 10. Then, and not till then, when, through her unwavering 
 patriotism and noble magnanimity, the Union was placed upon 
 a permanent basis and the future existence of the nation se- 
 cured, did she turn her attention to the development of her 
 own resources, the administration of her own government, and 
 the organization of suitable institutions for the promotion and 
 advancement of her material, moral, civil, and social well-being. 
 
 11. During this period three great statesmen and patriots 
 towered prominently over all their associates, directing, guiding, 
 and energizing public affairs, and contributing beyond all others 
 to the great results of the war of Independence. George Clin- 
 Tox, the first Governor, during a period of over twenty years, 
 by his ability, sterling integrity, and indomitable perseverance, 
 surrounded by innumerable difficulties and embarrassments, 
 successfully conducted the Ship of State to its destined hai-bor, 
 and laid the foundations for its future greatness. 
 
 12. Alexander Hamilton, by his transcendent talents, clo- 
 
318 CONCLUSION.— GENERAL RECAPITULATION. 
 
 quence, and energy, threw himself into the breach against the 
 fiercest waves of faction ; and in conjunction with John Jay 
 saved the Constitution, and with it the Union, from the im- 
 minent perils by which it was surrounded. Upon the organiza- 
 tion of the government, both these distinguished men rendered 
 the most important services to their country, in its civil and 
 diplomatic service ; and their memory will ever be cherished as 
 the founders and supporters of the American Union. 
 
 13. Governor Clinton availed himself of the earliest op- 
 portunity to recommend the establishment of a common-school 
 system, and the initiation of measures for developing the re- 
 sources and adding to the wealth of the State by the improve- 
 ment of its navigable waters and their connection by artificial 
 canals. Both these measures were destined to be afterwards 
 fully realized through the genius and executive ability of his 
 great kinsman and successor, De Witt Clinton. 
 
 14. At this time — between 1790 and 1800 — the entire 
 population of the State did not exceed five hundred thousand, 
 chiefly concentrated in the city of New York, and on the banks 
 of the Hudson and Mohawk. The extensive and fertile valleys 
 and plains of the western section of the State, from Utica to 
 Lake Erie, were still an unbroken wilderness, and a few scat- 
 tered hamlets only diversified the region between Albany and 
 the sources of the Mohawk. 
 
 15. The administrations of Daniel D. Tompkins and De 
 Witt Clinton, extending, with a brief interval, over a period 
 of nearly twenty years, constituted the most brilliant portion 
 of the annals of the State. The former by his persistent, de- 
 voted patriotism and self-sacrificing exertions, carried us tri- 
 umphantly through the second war with Great Britain ; and the 
 latter, by his commanding talents and far-seeing statesmanship, 
 laid the foundations of our magnificent common-school system, 
 and conceived and carried into execution, amid the most for- 
 midable obstacles, the greatest work of internal improvement 
 the world had ever known. 
 
 1 6. Their distinguished successors. Van Buren, Marcy, Sew- 
 ard, and Wright, and the more recent occupants of the 
 executive chair, built nobly upon these solid foundations of 
 greatness and wealth, enlarging, expanding, and adorning the 
 
DISTINGUISHED MEN. 319 
 
 superstructure of political and social prosperity; steadily de- 
 veloping and applying the immense resources of the State in 
 all its departments, and maintaining its high position and 
 character as the imperial member of the confederacy. 
 
 1 7. Nor must the, long and splendid array of her jurists, 
 legislators, and statesmen occupying subordinate positions in 
 the executive administration of the State, and representing her 
 interests in the councils of the nation, be overlooked in this 
 connection. The illustrious names of Spencer, Kent, Van 
 Ness, Platt, Thompson, Woodworth, and Yates in her earlier, 
 and Savage, Sutherland, Marcy, Nelson, Bronson, and Cowen 
 in her later judiciary, adorned the bench of the Supreme Court; 
 while her Chancery was graced by the comprehensive learning 
 and great ability of Lansing, Kent, Jones, and Walworth. 
 
 18. In the ranks of the legal profession were to be found the 
 great names of Hamilton, Burr, Van Vechten, Van Bueen, 
 Thomas Addis Emmett, Elisha Williams, Benjamin F. Butlee, 
 John C. Spencer, Joshua A. Spencer, Samuel Stevens, Am- 
 brose L. Jordan, Ogden Hoffman, James T. Brady, James W. 
 Gerard, Francis B. Cutting, Chaeles O'Conor, Charles P. 
 Kirkland, and William M. Evaets, with a long list of contem- 
 poraries and successors worthy of such high association. In 
 her legislative halls were to be heard such men as Clinton, 
 Spencer, Young, Eoot, Van Buren, Sharp, Ogden, Livings- 
 ton, DuER, Tallmadge, Suydam, Wright; and, at a later 
 period, Seward, Seymour, Humphrey, Beadish, Patterson, 
 IluLBURD, Cutting, King, and a host of others of greater or 
 less abilitj-, influence, and worth. 
 
 19. In the Senate of the United States she has been worthily 
 represented by Philip Schuyler, Aaron Burr, Gouverneur 
 Morris, Obadiah German, Nathan Sanford, Martin Van 
 Buren, Charles E. Dudley, Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, Rufus 
 King, De Witt Clinton, William L. Marcy, Silas Wright, 
 John A. Dix, Daniel S. Dickinson, William H. Seward, 
 Peeston King, Hamilton Fish, Iea Haeeis, Edwin D. Mor- 
 gan, RoscoE CoNKLiNG, and Reuben E. Fenton. In the Ho\ise 
 of Representatives, John W. Taylor, for two terms, filled the 
 Speaker's chair, and among the delegations, from New York a 
 long list of eminent and distinguished names might be cited. 
 
320 CONCLUSION.— GENERAL RECAPITULATION. 
 
 20. In the Cabinet of the United States, Alexander Hamil- 
 ton, Martin Van Buren, John C. Spencer, Smith Thompson, 
 Gideon Granger, James K. Paulding, William L. Marcy, 
 Benj. F. Butler, John A. Dix, Wm. H. Seward, Wm. M. Evarts, 
 and Hamilton Fish, have occupied various positions. Two Pres- 
 idents only, I*Iartin Van Buren and Millard Fillmore, have 
 filled the executive chair of the nation ; while the Vice-Presidency 
 has been conferred upon Aaeon Burr, George Clinton, Daniel 
 D. Tompkins, Martin Van Buren, and Millard Fillmore. 
 
 21. On the bench of the Supreme Court of the United States 
 John Jay was the first Chief-Justice, and Smith Thompson and 
 Samuel Nelson have held the position of Associate Justices. 
 John Jay, Martin Van Buren, Washington Irving, George 
 Bancroft, Daniel D. Barnard, James Watson Webb, John A. 
 Dix, and Daniel E. Sickles, have occupied high diplomatic 
 positions as Ministers Plenipotentiary to the courts of England, 
 France, Spain, and Prussia, and in the South American States. 
 
 22. In the army we have the illustrious names of Mont- 
 gomery and Schuyler, James Clinton, Herkimer, McDougall, 
 Lamb, Sullivan, and Willett, of Revolutionary memory ; Ma- 
 comb, Brown, Wool, the Van Rensselaers, Ripley, Pike, 
 and Porter, who distinguished themselves in the war of 
 1812 ; Wool and Worth in the war with Mexico; and Wads- 
 worth, Dix, Sickles, Sigel, Asboth, Barlow, Slocum, Wood- 
 ford, and Jones during the Rebellion. 
 
 23. Among the most distinguished of the scientific men who 
 have shed an enduring lustre upon their native or adopted State 
 may be named Drs. Samuel L. Mitchell, T. Romeyn Beck, 
 Valentine Mott, and John W. Francis, of the medical profes- 
 sion ; Professors Hall, Emmons, Beck, Torrey, Mather, Hough, 
 and De Kay of the geological, chemical, and natural-history 
 department ; Francis Lieber, Thomas Ewbank, and Professor 
 Henry, now in charge of the Smithsonian Institute at Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 24:. Robert R. Livingston and Robert Fulton, as the great 
 inventors of steam navigation ; Samuel F. B. Morse, as the in- 
 ventor of the magnetic telegraph ; and Cyrus W. Field, as the 
 indefatigable pioneer of the ocean telegraph, — will long be re- 
 membered as great public benefactors ; and the unwearied exor- 
 
DISTLSGUISUED MEN. 321 
 
 tions of Henry O'Reilly in the construction of telegraphic lines 
 throughout every portion of the Union have conferred a lasting 
 benefit upon the civilization of the age. 
 
 25. In the ranks of literary celebrity and success, W.\shington 
 Irving occupies the foremost place ; while William Cullen 
 Bryant, Fitz-Geeen Halleck, Joseph Rodman Drake, George 
 P. Morris, Nathaniel P. Willis, Alfred B. Street, and Phebe 
 and Alice Carey as poets ; James Fennimore Cooper, James 
 K. Paulding, Donald G. Mitchell, and Richard B. Kimball 
 as novelists ; and George Bancroft, J. Romeyn Broadhead, 
 E. B. O'Callaghan, and Henry B. Dawson as historians, — have 
 attained a high reputation in their respective departments of 
 literary effort. 
 
 26. Among the most influential conductors of the public 
 press — that great organ of public opinion — may be enumer- 
 ated Solomon Southwick, Jesse Buel, Edwin Croswell, Thur- 
 Low Weed, George Dawson, and AVilliam Cassidy, of Albany ; 
 and John Peter Zenger, James Cheetham, William L. Stone, 
 Charles King, Mordecai M. Noah, William Coleman, Horace 
 Greeley, William Cullen Bryant, Henry J. Raymond, James 
 Watson Webb, James Gordon Bennett, Manton Marble, James 
 and Erastus Brooks, Charles A. Dana, and Joseph Howard, 
 Jr., of New York. 
 
 27. The church has been adorned by the lives and eloquence 
 of Archbishops Hughes and McCloskey of the Catholic faith ; 
 Bishops Hobart, Potter, De Lancey, Cox, and Drs. Vinton, 
 Muhlenberg, Dix, Tyng, Taylor, Wainwright, and Andrews, 
 of the Episcopal; Bishops Asbury, Hedding, Emory, and Janes, 
 the eloquent young Summerfield, and Silas Comfort, of the 
 Methodist ; Henry Ward Beecher, and Drs. Spring, Storrs, 
 Adams, Sprague, Campbell, and Potts, of the Presbyterian and 
 Congregational ; Drs. Welch, Burchard, Gillett, and others, 
 of the Baptist ; Drs. Wyckoff, Bethune, and Vermilye, of the 
 Dutch Reformed; Dr. Chapin, Stephen R. Smith, and Dolphus 
 Skinner, of the Universalists ; Drs. Dewey, Bellows, Osgood, 
 and Frothingham, of the Unitarians ; and many otliers less 
 widely known and distinguished, but not less worthy of remem- 
 brance and high regard in their humbler fields of labor. 
 
 28. Conspicuous among the eminent philanthropists who have 
 
 21 
 
322 CONCLUSION. — GENERAL RECAPITULATION. 
 
 distinguished themselves for their liberal public, private, and 
 social benefactions in the interests of charity, humanity, and 
 the advancement of science and civilization, ma}' be found the 
 names of Leake, Watts, John Jacob Astor, Peter Cooper, 
 Gehrit Sjiith, Alexander T. Stewart, and last, though not 
 least, Hexry Bergh, whose disinterested and persevering exer- 
 tions for the suppression of cruelty to animals have entitled him 
 to the warmest regards of eveiy benevolent heart. The Cham- 
 ber OP CoMJiERCE of the city of New York, consisting of its 
 leading merchants, stands, also, prominently forward in the 
 active promotion of every enlightened public and charitable 
 enterprise. 
 
 29. Fitting mention should also be made in this place of the 
 prominent educators who have impressed their stamp upon the 
 minds and hearts of the rising generation. First in this great 
 field of labor was Dr. Eliphalet Nott, who at the commence- 
 ment of the century as President of Union College at Schenec- 
 tady organized that institution, and during a period of over sixty 
 years, assisted for a long time by Professor Alonzo Potter, late 
 Bishop of Pennsylvania, annually sent out of its walls large classes 
 of graduates, fitted in all points for active service in Church or 
 State. To him succeeded in a humbler, but not less important, 
 field, Joseph Lancaster, whose indefatigable exertions, seconded 
 by the powerful influence of De Witt Clinton, moulded the 
 earliest system of popular education organized in the State 
 and city of New York, and who in the midst of his labors was 
 accidentally kiUed in our streets in 1838. His system of in- 
 struction was ably carried into effect through the energetic ef- 
 forts of George T. Trimble, the President, and Samuel W. 
 Seton, the Executive Agent, of the Public-School Society ; but 
 was finally abandoned on the dissolution of that corporation. 
 
 30. For more than half a century the Mrs. Willards, of the 
 Troy Female Seminary, and Professor Alonzo Crittenden, of 
 the Albany Female Seminary and Packard Institute of Brooklyn, 
 aided by Professor and Mrs. Eaton, have distinguished them- 
 selves in the higher education of young ladies ; while Dr. T. 
 PiOMEVN Beck, of the Albany Academy, aided by Dr. Bullions, 
 and Professors Henry and Cooke ; Principals Page, Perkins, 
 WooLWORTH, CociiEAN, and their successors in the State Normal 
 
VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS. 323 
 
 School ; the venerable Di-. Dewey, of the Rochester Collegiate 
 Institute, and afterwards of the University there ; Chancellor 
 Ferris, of the New York University ; and Presidents King and 
 Barxakd, of Columbia College, President John H. Raymond, of 
 Vassar College, Davis and North of Hamilton, Webster, of the 
 Free Academy and College of the city of New Y.ork, with 
 worthy colleagues in every section of the State, — were assidu- 
 ously training our young men and w^omen for future usefulness 
 and honor. 
 
 31. The first railroad laid down in the State was that between 
 Albany and Schenectady, which was completed in 1829. There 
 are now between fifty and sixty companies, and about three 
 thousand five hundred miles of road in operation, at an aggre- 
 gate cost of nearlj- two hundred millions of dollars. The prin- 
 cipal lines are those of the Central, the Hudson River, Harlem 
 and Erie Railroads, traversing the State in different sections 
 from New York to Lake Erie, with numerous branches com- 
 municating with the principal towns and cities in every portion 
 of the State. 
 
 32. The taxable valuation of real and personal estate in the 
 State is about five thousand millions of dollars, of which about 
 one fifth consists in cultivated and improved land. There are 
 upwards of twenty-five thousand manufacturing establishments, 
 employing two hundred and fifty thousand persons, and having 
 an aggregate capital of three hundred millions of dollars and a 
 productive capacity of nearly double that amount. The an- 
 nual value of exports from the State is upwards of a hundred 
 millions of dollars, and that of its imports two hundred mil- 
 lions. 
 
 33. The whole number of public schools in the State is about 
 twelve thousand, in which nearly one million ot children are an- 
 nually educated by twenty-seven thousand teachers, upwards of 
 twenty-two thousand of whom are females. Ten millions of 
 dollars are annually expended, from the avails of State funds 
 permanently appropriated and State and municipal taxation, 
 iu the employment of teachers, the purchase of sites, the build- 
 ing and furnishing of school-houses, and the provision of libra- 
 ries and school apparatus. In these libraries upwardo of one 
 million of volumes are alreadv collected. 
 
324 CONCLUSION.— GENERAL RECAPITULATION. 
 
 34. Two hundred academies, witli fifty thousand pupils and 
 one thousand teachers ; fifteen colleges, with an aggregate of 
 upwards of two thousand students ; seven Normal and training 
 schools for teachers ; several medical, theological, and law schools 
 and colleges ; and twentj'-five hundred private and incorporated 
 schools and seminaries of learning, with an aggregate attendance 
 of seventy thousand pupils, — are distributed throughout the 
 different sections of the State. 
 
 35. Numerous charitable institutions, supported in great part 
 from public and corporate funds, are found in the principal cities 
 and towns for the education, support, and relief of the deaf, 
 dumb, blind, idiots, and lunatics, paupers, widows and orphans, 
 and inebriates ; hospitals for the care and medical treatment 
 of the sick and wounded ; homes for the destitute, afflicted, and 
 incurable ; and penitentiaries and houses of refuge for the de- 
 tention and reformation of youthful convicts. 
 
 36. Ten thousand spacious churches, cathedrals, and places 
 of public worship, adorn our cities, villages, and rural hamlets ; 
 involving an aggregate expenditure of thirty millions of dollars, 
 and an annual contribution of three millions of dollars for the 
 maintenance of the clergy. One thousand daily, weekly, semi- 
 weekly, monthly, and quarterly newspapers, magazines, and pe- 
 riodicals diffuse information broadcast among the people , and 
 public libraries abound in every section of the State, embracing 
 in the aggregate, including the several school libraries, nearly 
 two millions of volumes. 
 
 37. The city of New York alone, with a population of about 
 one million, contains upwards of two hundred public schools, 
 numbering two hundred thousand pupils, with twenty-five hun- 
 dred teachers, twenty-two hundred of whom are females, and 
 three hundred private schools, with an aggregate of seventy 
 thousand pupils and sixteen hxindred teachers, at an annual 
 cost in the former of three millions, and in the latter of two 
 millions, of dollars ; three colleges, with departments of law 
 and medicine in two of them, two medical colleges and sev- 
 eral theological seminaries ; asylums for the deaf, dumb, and 
 blind ; an academy of design and various art-galleries ; three 
 opera-houses, ten theatres, three hundred churches, eighteen pub- 
 lic parks, eleven public markets, charitable associations for the 
 
VARIOUS INSTITUTIONS. 325 
 
 relief of every description of suffering and poverty, and nu- 
 merous literary and scientific institutions, — conspicuous among 
 ■which are the Cooper Union, the Historical Society, the Astor, 
 Mercantile, Apprentices', Institute, City, and Society Libraries, 
 the College of the City of New York, the Normal and High 
 School for Girls, Columbia College, and the New York Univer- 
 sity, — and two hundred and fifty-six daily, weekly, and semi- 
 weekly newspapers, and other periodical publications. 
 
 38. Such is a brief glance at the progress and present condi- 
 tion of the State of New York, — her early history, her pro- 
 tracted struggles for political freedom and independence, her 
 triumphs and victories, her enterprise and energy, and the 
 transcendent abilities, talents, and statesmanship of her sons. 
 Through a long succession of trials and conflicts she has ac- 
 complished her great destiny as first and foremost in the brilliant 
 constellation of American States ; and with her proud motto, 
 " Excelsior," advances with unfaltering steps to the achieve- 
 ment in the future of still higher and grander results. EsTO 
 Perpetua ! 
 
APPENDIX, 
 
 THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW 
 YOKK. 
 
 We the People of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God 
 for our Freedom, in order to secure its blessings, do establish this 
 Constitution. 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 Section 1. Ko member of this State shall be disfranchised, or de- 
 prived of any of the rights or privileges secured to any citizens thereof, 
 unless by the law of the land, or the judgment of his peers. 
 
 Sec. 2. T!ie trial by jury in all cases in which it has been heretofore 
 used shall remain inviolate forever ; but a jury trial may be waived 
 by the parties in all civil cases in the manner to be prescribed by law. 
 
 Sec. 3. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and 
 worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed 
 in this State to all mankind : and no person shall be rendered incom- 
 petent to be a witness on account of his opinions on matters of re- 
 ligious belief; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not 
 be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices 
 inconsistent with the peace or safety of this State. 
 
 Sec. 4. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be 
 suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public 
 safety may require its suspension. 
 
 Sec 5. Excessive bail shall not be required nor excessive fines 
 imposed, nor shall cruel and unusual punishments be inflicted, nor 
 shall witnesses be unreasonably detained. 
 
 Sec. 6. Ao person shall be held to answer for a capital or other- 
 wise infamous crime (except in cases of impeachment, and in cases 
 of militia when in actual service ; and the land and naval forces in 
 time of war, or which this State may keep, with the consent of Con- 
 gress, in time of peace ; and in cases of petit larceny, under the re,Q;u- 
 lation of the Legislature), unless on presentment or indictment of a 
 
328 APPENDIX. 
 
 grand jury ; and in any trial in any court whatever, the party accused 
 shall be allowed to appear and defend in person and with counsel as 
 in civil actions. No person shall be subject to be twice put in jeop- 
 ardy for the same oflfence ; nor shall he be compelled in any criminal 
 case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, 
 or property without due process of law ; nor shall private property be 
 taken for public use, without just compensation. 
 
 Sec 7. "When private property shall be taken for any public use, 
 the compensation to he made therefor, when such compensation is not 
 made by the State, shall be ascertained by a jury, or by not less than 
 three commissioners appointed by a court of record, as shall be pre- 
 scribed by law. Private roads may be opened in the manner to be 
 prescribed by law ; but in every case the necessity of the road, and 
 the amount of all damage to be sustained by the opening thereof, 
 shall be first determined by a jury of freeholders, and such amount, 
 together with the expenses of the proceeding, shall be paid by the 
 person to be benefited. 
 
 Sec. 8. Every citizen may freely speak, write, and publish his sen- 
 timents on all subjects, being responsible for the abuse of that right; 
 and no law shall be passed to restrain or abridge the liberty of speech 
 or the press. In all criminal prosecutions or indictments for libels, 
 the truth may be given in evidence to the jury ; and if it shall appear 
 to the jury that the matter charged as libellous is true, and was pub- 
 lished with good motives and for justifiable ends, the party shall be 
 acquitted; and the jury shall have the right to determine the law 
 and the fact. 
 
 Sec. 9. The assent of two thirds of the members elected to each 
 branch of the Legislature shall be requisite to every bill appropriating 
 the public moneys or property for local or private purposes. 
 
 Sec. 10. Ko law shall be passed abridging the right of the people 
 peaceably to assemble and to petition the government, or any depart- 
 ment thereof, nor shall any divorce be granted, otherwise than by due 
 judicial proceedings ; nor shall any lottery hereafter be authorized or 
 any sale of lottery tickets allowed within this State. 
 
 Sec. 11. The people of this State, in their right of sovereignty, are 
 deemed to possess the original and ultimate property in and to all 
 lands yvithin the jurisdiction of the State; and all lands the title to 
 whicli shall fail, from a defect of heirs, shall revert, or escheat to the 
 people. 
 
 Sec 12. All feudal tenures of every description, with all their in- 
 cidents, are declared to be abolished, saving, however, all rents and 
 services certain which at any time heretofore have been lawfully 
 created or reserved. 
 
 Sec 13. All lands within this State are declared to be allodial, so 
 
COXSTITUTIOX OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 3l9 
 
 that, subject only to tlie liability to escheat, the entire and absolute 
 property is vested in the owners, according to the nature of their 
 respective estates. 
 
 Sec 14. Xo lease or grant of agricultural land, for a longer period 
 than twelve years, hereafter made, in which shall be reserved any rent 
 or service of any kind, shall be valid. 
 
 Sec 15. All fines, quarter sales, or other like restraints upon aliena- 
 tion reserved in any grant of land, hereafter to be made, shall be 
 void. 
 
 Sec 16. ISo purchase or contract for the sale of lands in this State, 
 made since the fourteenth day of October, one thousand seven hun- 
 dred and seventy-five, or which may hereafter be made, of, or with 
 the Indians, shall be valid, unless made under the autliority and with 
 the consent of the Legislature. 
 
 Sec 17. Such parts of the common law, and of the acts of the 
 Legislature of the colony of New York, as together did form the law 
 of the said colony on the nineteenth day of April, one thousand seven 
 hundred and seventy-five, and the resolutions of the Congress of the 
 said colony, and of the Convention of the State of New York in 
 force on the twentieth da}' of April, one thousand seven hundred and 
 seventy-seven, which have not since expired, or been repealed or 
 altered, and such acts of the Legislature of this State as are now in 
 force, shall be and continue the law of this State, subject to such 
 alterations as the Legislature shall make concerning the same. But 
 all such parts of the common law, and such of the said acts or parts 
 thereof, as are repugnant to this Constitution, are hereby abrogated ; 
 and the Legislature, at its first session after the adoption of this Con- 
 stitution, shall appoint three commissioners whose duty it shall be to 
 reduce into a written and systematic code the whole body of the law 
 of this State, or so much and such parts thereof as to the said com- 
 missioners shall seem practicable and expedient. And the said com- 
 missioners shall specify such alterations and amendments therein as 
 they shall deem proper, and they shall at all times make reports of 
 their proceedings to the Legislature, when called upon to do so; and 
 the Legislature shall pass laws regulating the tenure of office, the 
 filling of vacancies therein, and the compensation of the said com- 
 missioners, and shall also provide for the publication of the said code, 
 prior to its being presented to the Legislature for adoption. 
 
 Sec 18. All grants of land within this State, made by the king of 
 Great Britain, or persons acting under his authority, after the four- 
 teenth day of October, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, 
 shall be null and void; but nothing contained in this Constitution 
 shall affect any grants of land within this State, made by the author- 
 ity of the said king or his predecessors, or shall annul any charters to 
 
330 APPENDIX. 
 
 bodies politic and corporate, by him or them made, before that day ; 
 or shall affect any such grants or charters, since made by this State, 
 or by persons acting under its authority ; or shall impair the obliga- 
 tion of any debts contracted b}' this State, or individuals, or bodies 
 corporate, or any other rights of property or any suits, actions, rights 
 of action, or other proceedings in courts of justice. 
 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 Section" 1. Every male citizen of the age of twenty-one years who 
 shall have been a citizen for ten days, and an inhabitant of this State 
 one )'ear next preceding an election, and for the last four months a 
 resident of the county where he may offer his vote, shall be entitled 
 to vote at such election, in the election district of which he shall at 
 the time be a resident, and not elsewhere, for all officers that now are 
 or hereafter may be elective by the people ; but such citizen shall have 
 been for thirty days next preceding the election a resident of the 
 district from which the officer is to be chosen for whom he offers his 
 vote. But no man of color, unless he shall have been for three years 
 a citizen of this State, and for one year next preceding any election 
 shall have been seized and possessed of a freehold estate of the value 
 of two hundred and fifty dollars over and above all debts and incum- 
 brances chai-ged thereon, and shall have been actually rated and paid 
 a tax thereon, shall be entitled to vote at such election. And no 
 person of color shall be subject to direct taxation unless he shall be 
 seized and possessed of such real estate as aforesaid : Provided, that, 
 in time of war, no elector in the actual military service of the United 
 States, in the army or navy thereof, shall be deprived of his vote by 
 reason of his absence from the State, and the Legislature shall have 
 power to provide the manner in which, and the time and place at 
 which, such absent electors may vote, and for the canvass and returns 
 of their votes in the election districts in which they respectively re- 
 side or otherwise. 
 
 Sec 2. Laws may be passed excluding from the right of suffrage 
 all persons who have been or may be convicted of bribery, larceny, 
 01- of any infamous crime ; and for depriving every person who shall 
 make, or become directly or indirectly interested in any bet or wager, 
 depending upon the result of any election, from the right to vote at 
 such election. 
 
 Sec. 3. For the purpose of voting, no person shall be deemed to 
 have gained or lost a residence, by reason of his presence or absence, 
 while emploj-ed in the service of the United States; nor while en- 
 gaged in the navigation of the waters of this State, or of the United 
 States, or of the high seas ; nor while a student of any seminary of 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 33 1 
 
 learning ; nor while kept at any almshouse, or other asylum, at pub- 
 lic expense ; nor while confined in any public prison. 
 
 Sec. 4. Laws shall be made for ascertaining by proper proofs the 
 citizens who shall be entitled to the right of suffrage hereby estab- 
 lished. 
 
 Sec. 5. All elections by the citizens shall be hy ballot, except for 
 such town officers as may by law be directed to be otherwise chosen. 
 
 ARTICLE IIL 
 
 Section 1. The legislative power of this State shall be vested in a 
 Senate and Assembly. 
 
 Sec. 2. The Senate shall consist of thirty-two members, and the 
 senators shall be chosen for two years. The Assembly shall consist 
 of one hundred and twenty-eight members, who shall be annually 
 elected. 
 
 Sec 3. The State shall be divided into thirty-two districts, to be 
 called senate districts, each of which shall choose one senator. The 
 districts shall be numbered from one to thirty-two inclusive. 
 
 District number One (1) shall consist of the counties of Suffolk, 
 Richmond, and Queens. 
 
 District number Two (2) shall consist of the county of Kings. 
 
 District number Three (3), number Four (4), number Five (5), and 
 number Six (6) shall consist of the city and county of New York. 
 And the Board of Supervisors of said city and county shall, on or be- 
 fore the first day of May, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, 
 divide the said city and county into the number of Senate districts to 
 which it is entitled, as near as may be, of an equal number of inhab- 
 itants excluding aliens and persons of color not taxed, and consisting 
 of convenient and contiguous territory ; and no Assembly district shall 
 be divided in the formation of a Senate district. The Board of Super- 
 visors, when they shall have completed such division, shall cause cer- 
 tificates thereof, stating the number and boundaries of each district, 
 and the population thereof, to be filed in the office of the Secretary 
 of State, and of the clerk of the said city and county. 
 
 [The residue of this section consists of the designation of the sev- 
 eral Senate districts, which, under the provisions of the next section, 
 have since been materially changed by the Legislature.] 
 
 Sec. 4. An enumeration of the inhabitants of the State shall be 
 taken under the direction of the Legislature, in the year one thousand 
 eight hundred and fifty-five, and at the end of every ten years there- 
 after ; and the said districts shall be so altered by the Legislature, at 
 the first session after the return of every enumeration, that each sen- 
 ate district shall contain, as nearly as may be, an equal number of 
 
332 APPENDIX. 
 
 inhabitants, excluding aliens and persons of color not taxed ; and shall 
 remain unaltered until the return of another enumeration, and shall at 
 all times consist of contiguous territory ; and no county shall be di- 
 vided in the formation of a senate district except such county shall be 
 equitably entitled to two or more senators. 
 
 Sec. o. The members of assemUy shall be apportioned among the 
 several counties of this State, by the Legislature, as nearly as may be 
 according to the number of their respective inhabitants, excluding 
 aliens and persons of color not taxed, and shall be chosen by single 
 districts. 
 
 The several boards of supervisors in such counties of this State as 
 are now entitled to more than one member of Assembly, shall assem- 
 ble on the first Tuesday of January next, and divide their respective 
 counties into Assembly districts equal to the number of members of 
 A.ssembly to which such counties are now severally entitled by law, 
 and shall cause to be filed in the offices of the Secretary of State and 
 the clerks of their re.spective counties a description of such Assembly 
 districts, speciiying the number of each district and the population 
 thereof, according to the last preceding State enumeration, as near as 
 can be ascertained. Each Assembly district shall contain, as nearly 
 as may be, an equal number of inhabitants, excluding aliens and 
 persons of color not taxed, and shall consist of convenient and con- 
 tiguous territory ; but no town shall be divided in the formation of 
 A.s,*embly districts. 
 
 The Legislature, at its first session after the return of every enu- 
 meration, shall reapportion the members of Assembly among the sev- 
 eral counties of this State, in manner aforesaid, and the boards of 
 supervisors in such counties as may be entitled, under such reappor- 
 tionment, to more than one member, shall assemble at such time as 
 the Legislature making such reapportionment shall prescribe, and 
 divide such coimties into A.ssembly districts, in the manner herein 
 directed ; and the apportionment and districts so to be made shall 
 remain unaltered until another enumeration shall be taken under the 
 provisions of the preceding section. 
 
 Every county heretofore established and separately organized, ex- 
 cept the county of Hamilton, shall always be entitled to one member 
 of the Assembly, and no new county shall be hereafter erected unless 
 its population shall entitle it to a member. 
 
 The county of Hamilton shall elect with the county of Fulton, until 
 the population of the county of Hamilton shall, according to the ratio, 
 be entitled to a member. 
 
 Skc. 6. The members of the Legislature shall receive for their ser- 
 vices it sum not exceeding three dollars a day, from the commence- 
 ment of the session ; but such pay shall not exceed in the aggregate 
 
CO-Y^TirCT/0-Y OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 333 
 
 three hundred dollars for per diem allowance, except in proceedings 
 for impeachment. The limitation as to the aggregate compensation 
 shall not take effect until the year one thousand eight hundred and 
 forty-eight. When convened in extra session by the Governor, they 
 shall receive three dollars per day. They shall also receive the sum 
 of one dollar for every ten miles they shall travel, in going to and re- 
 turning from their place of meeting, on tlie most usual route. The 
 Speaker of the Assembly shall, in virtue of his office, receive an ad- 
 ditional compensation equal to one tliird of his per diem allowance as 
 a member. 
 
 Sec T. Xo member of the Legislature shall receive any civil ap- 
 2T}in1ment icithin Ihis State, or to the Senate of the United States, 
 from the Governor, the Governor and Senate, or from the Legislature 
 daring the time for which he shall have been elected ; and all such 
 appointments and all votes given for any such member, for any such 
 office or appointment, shall be void. 
 
 Sec 8. Xo person being a member of Congress, or holding any 
 judicial or military office under tlie United States, shall hold a seat 
 in the Legislature. And if any person shall, after his election as a 
 member of the Legislature, be elected to Congress, or appointed to 
 anv office, civil or military, under the government of the United 
 States, his acceptance thereof shall vacate his seat. 
 
 Sec. 9. The election of senators and members of Assembly, pur- 
 suant to the provisions of this Constitution, shall be held on the 
 Tuesday succeeding the first Monday of November, unless otherwise 
 directed by the Legislature. 
 
 Sec 10. A majority of each House shall constitute a quorum to do 
 business. Each House shall determine the rules of its own proceed- 
 ings, and bo the judge of the elections, returns, and quahfications of 
 its own members, shall choose its own officers ; and the Senate shall 
 choose a temporary President, when the Lieutenant-Govornoi shall 
 not attend as President, or shall act as Governor. 
 
 Sec. 11. Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and 
 publish the same, except such parts as may require secrecy. The 
 doors of each House shall be kept open, except when the public wel- 
 fare shall require secrecy. Neither House shall, without the consent 
 of the other, adjourn for more than two days. 
 
 Sec 12. For any speech or debate in either House of the Legisla- 
 ture, the members shall not be questioned in any other place. 
 
 Sec 13. Any bill may originate in either House of the Legislature, 
 and all bills passed by one House may be amended by the other. 
 
 Sec. 1-i. The enacting clause of all bills shall be " The People of 
 the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do 
 enact as follows," and no law shall be enacted except by bill. 
 
334 APPENDIX. 
 
 Sec. 15. Xo hill shall be passed unless hy the assent of a majority 
 of all the members elected to each branch of the Legislature, and the 
 question upon the final passage shall be taken immediately upon its 
 last reading, and the yeas and nays entered on the journal. 
 
 Sec 16. 'So private or local bill, which may be passed by the Legis- 
 lature, shall embrace more than one subject, and that shall be expressed 
 in the title. 
 
 Sec 17. The Legislature may confer upon the boards of supervisors 
 of the several counties of the State such further powers of local legis- 
 lation and administration as they shall from time to time prescribe. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a Governor, 
 who shall hold his office for two years ; a Lieutenant-Grovernor shall 
 be chosen at the same time and for the same term. 
 
 Sec 2. No person except a citizen of the United States shall be 
 eligible to the office of Governor, nor shall any person be eligible to 
 that office, who shall not have attained the age of thirty years, and 
 who shall not have been five years next preceding his election a resi- 
 dent within this State. 
 
 Sec. 3. The Governor and Lieutenant- Governor shall be elected at 
 the times and places of choosing members of the Assembly. The 
 persons respectively having the highest number of votes for G-overnor 
 and Lieutenant-Grovernor shall be elected ; but in case two or more 
 shall have an equal and the highest n.umber of votes for G-overnor, or 
 for Lieutenant-G-ovemor, the two Houses of the Legislature, at its next 
 annual session, shall, forthwith, by joint ballot, choose one of the said 
 persons so having an equal and the highest number of votes for Gov- 
 ernor or Lieutenant-G-ovemor. 
 
 Sec 4. The Governor shall be Commander-in-Chief of the mihtary 
 and naval forces of the State. Ho shall have power to convene the 
 Legislature (or the Senate only) on extraordinary occasions. He shall 
 communicate by message to the Legislature, at every session, the con- 
 dition of the State, and recommend such matters to them as he shall 
 judge expedient. He shall transact all necessary business with the 
 ollieers of government, civil and military. He shall expedite all such 
 measures as may be resolved upon by the Legislature, and shall take 
 care that the laws are faithfully executed. He shall, at stated times, 
 receive for his services a compensation to be established by law, which 
 shall neither be increased nor diminished after his election or during 
 his continuance in office. 
 
 Sec 5. The Governor shall have the power to grant reprieves, 
 commutations, and pardons, after conviction, for all oflences except 
 
COySTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 335 
 
 treason and cases of impeachment, upon such conditions and ^vith 
 such restrictions and limitations, as he may think proper, subject 
 to such regulation as may be provided by law relative to the manner 
 of applying for pardons. Upon conviction for treason, he shall have 
 power to suspend the execution of the sentence until the case shall 
 be reported to the Legislature at its next meeting, when the Legisla- 
 ture shall either pardon, or commute the sentence, direct the execu- 
 tion of the sentence, or grant a further reprieve. He shall annually 
 communicate to the Legislature each case of reprieve, commutation, 
 or pardon granted; stating the name of the convict, the crime of 
 which he was convicted, the sentence and its date, and the date of 
 tlie commutation, pardon, or reprieve. 
 
 Sec. 6. In case of the impeachment of the Governor, or his removal 
 from office, death, inability to discharge the powers and duties of the 
 said office, resignation or absence from the State, the powers and du- 
 ties of the ofiice shall devolve upon the Lieutenant-Governor for the 
 residue of the term, or until the disability shall cease. But when 
 the Governor shall, with the consent of the Legislature, be out of the 
 State in time of war, at the head of a military force thereof, he shall 
 continue Commander-in-Chief of all the military force of the State. 
 
 Sec. 7. The Lieutenant-Governor shaXl Tpossess the same quahfioa- 
 tions of eligibility for office as the Governor. He shall be President 
 of the Senate, but shall have only a casting vote therein. If during 
 a vacancy of the office of Governor, the Lieutenant-Governor shall be 
 impeached, displaced, resign, die, or become incapable of performing 
 the duties of his office, or he be absent from the State, the President 
 of the Senate shall act as Governor until the vacancy be filled, or the 
 disability shall cease. 
 
 Sec. 8. The Lieutenant- Governor shall, while acting as such, receive 
 a compensation which shall be fixed by law, and which shall not be 
 increased or diminished during his continuance in office. 
 
 Sec. 9. Every bill which shall have passed the Senate and Assem- 
 bly, shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the Governor ; if 
 he approve, he shall sign it ; but if not, he shall return it with his 
 objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall 
 enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to recon- 
 sider it. If, after such consideration, two tliirds of the members 
 prei-ent shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the 
 objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be recon- 
 sidered ; and if approved by two thirds of all the members present 
 it shall become a law, notwithstanding the objections of the Governor. 
 But in all such cases the votes of both Houses shall be determined 
 by yeas and nays, and the names of the members voting for and 
 against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House re- 
 
336 APPENDIX. 
 
 spectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the Governor within 
 ten days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to 
 him, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he had signed it, 
 unless the Legislature shall, by their adjournment, prevent its return ; 
 in which case it shall not be a law. 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 Section 1. The Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, and At- 
 torney-General shaM be chosen at a general election, and shall hold 
 their ofSces for two years. Each of the officers in this article named 
 (except the Speaker of the Assembly) shall at stated times, during 
 his continuance in oflice, receive for his services a compensation, 
 which shall not be increased or diminished during the term for which 
 he shall have been elected ; nor shall he receive, to his use, any fees 
 or perquisites of office, or other compensation. 
 
 Skc. 2. A State Engineer and Surveyor shall be chosen at a general 
 election, and shall hold his office two years, but no person shall be 
 elected to said office who is not a practical engineer. 
 
 Sec 3. Three Canal Commisaioners shall be chosen at the general 
 election which shall be held next after the adoption of this Constitu- 
 tion, one of whom shall hold his office for one 3''ear, one for two years, 
 and one for three years. The Commissioners of the Canal Fund shall 
 meet at the capitol on the first ilonday of January next after such 
 election, and determine by lot which of said Commissioners shall hold 
 his office for one year, which for two, and which for three years ; and 
 there shall be elected annually, thereafter, one Canal Commissioner, 
 who shall hold his office for three years. 
 
 Sec. 4. Three Inspectors of State Prisons shall be elected at the 
 general election which shall be held next after the adoption of this 
 Constitution, one of whom shall hold his office for one year, one for 
 two years, and one for three years. The Governor, Secretary of State, 
 and Comptroller shall meet at the capitol on the first Monday of Janu- 
 ary next succeeding such election, and determine by lot which of 
 said Inspectors shall hold his office for one year, which for two, and 
 which for three j-ears: and there shall be elected annually thereafter, 
 one Inspector of State Prisons, who shall hold his office for three 
 years ; said inspectors shall have the charge and sujierintendence of 
 the State prisons, and shall appoint all the officers therein. All vacan- 
 cies in the office of such Inspector shall be filled by the Governor till 
 the next election. 
 
 Six. -5. The Lieutenant-Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, Sccre- 
 tnry of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney-General, and State 
 Engineer and Surveyor, shall be the Commissioners of the Land Office. 
 
COSSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 337 
 
 The Lieutenant-Governor, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Treasurer, 
 and Attorney-General shall be the Commissioners of the Canal Fund. 
 The Canal Board shall consist of the Commissioners of the Canal 
 Fund, the State Engineer and Surveyor, and the Canal Commis- 
 sioners. 
 
 Sec. 6. The poioers and duties of the respective boards, and of the 
 several officers in this article mentioned, shall be such as now are or 
 hereafter may be prescribed by law. 
 
 Sec. 7. The Treasurer may be suspended from office by the Gov- 
 ernor, during the recess of the Legislature, and until thirty days after 
 the commencement of the next session of the Legislature, whenever 
 it shall appear to him that such Treasurer has, in any particular, vio- 
 lated his duty. The Governor shall appoint a competent person to 
 discharge the duties of the office during such suspension of the Treas- 
 urer. 
 
 Sec 8. All offices for the weighing, gauging, measuring, culling, 
 or inspecting any merchandise, produce, manufacture, or commodity 
 whatever, are hereby abohshed, and no such office shall hereafter be 
 created by law ; but nothing in this section contained shall abrogate 
 any office created for the purpose of protecting the public health or 
 the interests of the State in its property, revenue, tolls, or purchases, 
 or of supplying the people with correct standards of weights and 
 measures, or shall prevent the creation of any office for such purposes 
 hereafter. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 [As modified by constitutional Amendment adopted by the people 
 in November, 1869.] 
 
 Section L The Assembly shall have the power of impeachment, 
 by a vote of the majority of all the members elected. The court for 
 the trial of impeachments shall be composed of the President of the 
 Senate, the Senators, or a major part of them, and the judges of the 
 Court of Appeals, or the major part of them. On the trial of an im- 
 peachment against the Governor, the Lieutenant-Governor shall not 
 act as a member of the court. No judicial officer shall exercise his 
 office, after articles of impeachment against him shall have been pre- 
 ferred to the Senate, until he shall have been acquitted. Before the 
 trial of an impeachment, the members of the court shall take an oath 
 or affirmation, truly and impartially to try the impeachment accord- 
 ing to evidence ; and no person shall be convicted without the con- 
 currence of two thirds of the members present. Judgment in cases 
 of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from nffice, 
 or removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any 
 22 
 
338 APPENDIX. 
 
 office of honor, trust, or profit, under this State; but the party im- 
 peached shall be liable to indictment and punishment according to law. 
 
 Sec. 2. There shall be a Court of Appeals composed of a Chief 
 Judge and six Associate Judges, who shall be chosen by the electors 
 of the State, and shall hold their office for a term of fourteen years 
 from and including the first day of January next after their election. 
 At the first election of judges, under this Constitution, every elector 
 may vote for the Chief and only four of the Associate Judges. Any 
 five members of the court shall form a quorum, and the concurrence 
 of four shall be necessary to a decision. The court shall have the 
 appointment, with the power of removal, of its Reporter and Clerk, 
 and of such attendants as may be necessary. 
 
 Sec 3. When a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than by expiration 
 of term, in the office of Chief or Associate Judge of the Court of 
 Appeals, the same shall be filled, for a fuU term, at the next general 
 election happening not less than three months after such vacancy 
 occurs ; and until the vacancy shall be so filled, the Governor, by and 
 with the advice and consent of the Senate, if the Senate shall be in 
 session, or if not the Governor alone, may appoint to fill such va- 
 cancy. If any such appointment of Chief Judge shall be made from 
 among the Associate Judges, a temporary appointment of Associate 
 Judge shall be made in like manner; but in such case the person 
 appointed Chief Judge shall not be deemed to vacate his office of 
 Associate Judge any longer than until the expiration of his appoint- 
 ment as Chief Judge. The powers and jurisdiction of the court shall 
 not be suspended for want of appomtment or election, when the 
 number of judges is s\ifficient to constitute a quorum. All appoint- 
 ments under this section shall continue until and including the last 
 day of December next after the election at which the vacancy shall 
 be" filled. 
 
 Sec 4. Upon the organization of the Court of Appeah, under this 
 article, the causes then pending in the present Court of Appeals shall 
 become vested in the Court of Appeals hereby established. Such of 
 .■said causes as are pending on the first day of January, one thousand 
 oiL'ht hundred and sixty-nine, shall be heard and determined by a 
 Cuiumission, to be composed of five Commissioners of Appeals, four 
 of whom shall be necessary to constitute a quorum. But the Court 
 of Appeals hereby established may order any of said causes to be 
 heard therein. Such Commission shall be composed of the Judges of 
 the present Court of Appeals, elected or appointed tliereto, and a fifth 
 Commisfioncr who shall be appointed by the Governor, by and with 
 the advice and consent of the Senate ; or, if the Senate be not in ses- 
 sion, by the Governor ; but in such case the appointment shall expire 
 at the end of the next session. 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 339 
 
 Sec. 5. If any vacancy shall occur in the office of the said Commis- 
 sioners, it shall be filled by appointment by the Grovernor, by and with 
 the advice and consent of the Senate ; or, if the Senate is not in ses- 
 sion, by the G-overnor ; but in such case the appointment shall expire 
 at the end of the next session. The Commissioners shall appoint, 
 from their number, a Chief Commissioner, and may appoint and re- 
 move such attendants as may be necessary. The Reporter of tlie 
 Court of Appeals shall bo the Reporter of said Commission. The 
 decisions of the Commission shall be certified to, and entered and 
 enforced, as the judgments of the Court of Appeals. The Commis- 
 sion shall continue until the causes committed to it are determined, 
 but not exceeding three years ; and all causes then undetermined 
 shall be heard by the Court of Appeals. 
 
 Sec. 6. There shall be the existing Supreme Court, with general 
 jurisdiction' in law and equity, subject to such appellate jurisdiction 
 of the Court of Appeals as now is or may be prescribed by law ; and 
 it shall be composed of the justices now in office, who shall be con- 
 tinued during their respective terms, and of their successors. The 
 existing judicial districts of the State are continue'd until changed 
 pursuant to this section. Five of the justices shall reside in the dis- 
 trict in which is the city of New York, and four in each of the other 
 districts. 
 
 The Legislature may alter the districts without increasing the num- 
 ber, once after every enumeration, under this Constitution, of the 
 inhabitants of this State. 
 
 Sec. 7. At the first session of the Legislature after the adoption of 
 this article, and from time to time thereafter as may be necessary, but 
 not oftener than once in five years, provision shall be made for or- 
 ganizing, in the Supreme Court, not more than four General Terms 
 thereof, each to be composed of a presiding justice and not more than 
 three other justices, who shall be designated, according to law, from 
 the whole number of justices. Each presiding justice shall continue 
 to act as such during his term of ofBce. Provision shall be made by 
 law for holding the General Terms in each Judicial District. Any 
 Justice of the Supreme Court may hold Special Terms and Circuit 
 Courts, and may preside in Courts of Oyer and Terminer, in any 
 county. 
 
 Sec 8. No judge or justice shall sit at a General Term of any court, 
 or in the Court of Appeals, in review of a decision made by him or 
 by any court of which he was at the time a sitting member. The 
 testimony in equity cases shall be taken in like manner as in cases at 
 law ; and, except as herein otherwise provided, the Legislature shall 
 have the same power to alter and regulate the jurisdiction and pro- 
 ceedings in law and equity as they have heretofore exercised. 
 
340 APPENDIX. 
 
 Sec. 9. AVhen a vacancy shall occur, otherwise than by expiration 
 of term, in the office of Justice of the Supreme Court, the same shall 
 be filled for a full term, at the next general election, happening not 
 less than three months after such vacancy occurs ; and until any va- 
 cancy shall be so filled, the Governor, by and with the advice and 
 consent of the Senate, if the Senate shall be in session, or, if not in 
 session, the Governor may appoint to fill such vacancy. Any such 
 appointment shall continue until and including the last day of Decem- 
 ber next after the election at which the vacancy shall be filled. 
 
 Sec. 10. The judges of the Court of Appeals, and the justices of 
 the Supreme Court, shall not hold any other office of public trust. 
 All votes for any of them, for any other than a judicial office, given 
 by the Legislature or the people, shall be void. 
 
 Sec. 11. Judges of the Court of Appeals and justices of the Su- 
 preme Court may he removed by concurrent resolution of both 
 Houses of the Legislature, if two thirds of all the members elected 
 to each House concur therein. All judicial officers, except those 
 mentioned in this section, and except Justices of the Peace and judges 
 and justices of the inferior courts not of record, may be removed by 
 the Senate on the recomlnendation of the Governor, if two thirds of 
 all the members elected to the Senate concur therein. But no re- 
 moval shall be made, by virtue of this section, unless the cause 
 thereof be entered on the journals, nor unless the party complained 
 of shall have been served with a copy of the charges against him, 
 and shall have had an opportunity of being heard. On the question 
 of removal the yeas and nays shall be entered on the journal. 
 
 Sec. 12. The Superior Court of the city of New York, the Court 
 of Common Pleas for the city and county of New York, the Superior 
 Court of Buffalo, and the City Court of BrooMyn, are continued with 
 the powers and jurisdiction they now severally have, and such fur- 
 ther civil and criminal jurisdiction as may be confeijed by law. The 
 Superior Court of New York shall be composed of the six judges in 
 office at the adoption of this article, and their successors; the Court 
 of Common Pleas of New York, of the three judges then in office, 
 and their successors, and three additional judges ; the Superior Court 
 of Buffalo, of the judges now in office and their successors ; and the 
 City Court of Brooklyn, and such number of judges, not exceeding 
 three, as may be provided by law. The judges of said courts, in 
 office at the adoption of this article, are continued until the expira- 
 tion of their terms. A Chief Judge shall be appointed by the judges 
 of each of said courts, from their own number, wlio shall act as such 
 during his official term. Vacancies in the office of the judges named 
 in this section, occurring otherwise than by expiration of term, sliall 
 be filled in the same manner as vacancies in the Supreme Court. The 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 341 
 
 Legislature may provide for detailing judges of the Superior Court 
 and Court of Common Pleas of New York, to hold circuits or special 
 terms of the Supreme Court in that city, as the public interests may 
 require. 
 
 Sec. 13. Justices of the Supreme Court shall be chosen by the elec- 
 tors of their respective judicial districts. Judges of all the courts 
 mentioned in the last preceding section shall be chosen by the elec- 
 tors of the cities respectively in which the said courts are instituted. 
 The official terms of the said justices and judges who shall be elected 
 after the adoption of this article shall be fourteen years from and 
 including the first day of January next after their election. But no 
 person shall hold the office of Justice or Judge of any court longer 
 than until and including the last day of December next after he shall 
 be seventy years of age. 
 
 Sec. 14. The judges and justices hereinbefore mentioned shall 
 receive for their services a compensation to be established by law, 
 which shall not be diminished during their official terms. Except 
 the judges of the Court of Appeals and the justices of the Supreme 
 Court, they shall be paid, and the expenses of their courts defrayed, 
 by the cities or counties in which such courts are instituted, as shall 
 be provided by law. 
 
 Sec. 15. The existing County Coiirts are continued, and the judges 
 thereof in office at the adoption of this article shall hold their offices 
 until the expiration of their respective terms. Their successors shall 
 be chosen by the electors of the counties for the term of six years. 
 The county courts shall have the powers and jurisdiction they now 
 possess, until altered by the Legislature. They shall also have origi- 
 nal jurisdiction in all cases where the defendants reside in the county, 
 and in which the damages claimed shall not exceed one thousand dol- 
 lars ; and also such appellate jurisdiction as shall be provided by law, 
 subject, however, to such provision as shall be made by law for the 
 removal of causes into the Supreme Court. They shall also have 
 such other original jurisdiction as shall, from time to time, be con- 
 ferred upon them by the Legislature. The County Judge with two 
 Justices of the Peace, to be designated according to law, may hold 
 Courts of Sessions, with such criminal jurisdiction as the Legislature 
 shall prescribe, and he shall perform such other duties as may be re- 
 quired by law. His salary, and the salary of the Surrogate when 
 elected as a separate officer, shall be established by law, payable out 
 of the county treasury, and shall not be diminished during his term 
 of office. The Justices of the Peace shall be paid, for services in 
 courts of sessions, a per diem allowance out of the county treasury. 
 The County Judge shall also be Surrogate of his county; but in 
 counties having a population exceeding forty thousand the Legisla- 
 
342 APPENDIX, 
 
 ture may provide for the election of a separate officer to be Surrogate, 
 whose term of office shall be the same as that of the County Judge. 
 The County Judge of any county may preside at Courts of Sessions 
 or hold county courts in any other county, except New York and 
 Kings, when requested by the Judge of such other county. 
 
 Sec. 16. The Legislature may, on the application of the Board of 
 Supervisors, provide for the election of local officers, not to exceed 
 two in any County, to discharge the duties of County Judge and of 
 Surrogate, in cases of their inability, or of a vacancy, and to exercise 
 such other powers in special cases as may be provided by law. 
 
 Sec 17. The Legislature shall provide for submitting to the elec- 
 tors of the State at the general election in the year eighteen hundred 
 and seventy-three two questions, to be voted upon on separate bal- 
 lots, as follows : First, " Shall the offices of Chief Judge and Associate 
 Judge of the Court of Appeals, and of Justice of the Supreme Court, 
 be hereafter filled by appointment?" If a majority of the votes 
 upon the question shall be in the affirmative, the said offices shall not 
 thereafter be elective, but, as vacancies occur, they shall be CUed by 
 appointment by the Governor, by and with the advice and consent 
 of the Senate ; or, if the Senate be not in session, by the Governor ; 
 but in such case he shall nominate to the Senate when next con- 
 vened, and such appointment by the Governor alone shall expire at 
 the end of that session. Second, " Shall the offices of the judges 
 mentioned in Sections Twelve and Fifteen of Article Six of the Con- 
 stitution be hereafter filled by appointment?" If a majority of 
 votes upon the question shall be in the affirmative, the said offices 
 shall not thereafter be elective, but, as vacancies occur, they shall be 
 filled in the manner in the section above provided. 
 
 Sec 18. The electors of the several towns shall, at their annual 
 town meeting, and in such manner as the Legislature may direct, 
 elect Justices of the Peace, whose term of office shall be four years. 
 In case of an election to fill a vacancy occurring before the expiration 
 of a full term, they shall hold for the residue of the unexpired term. 
 Their number and classification may be regulated by law. Justices 
 of the Peace and judges or justices of inferior courts not of record, 
 and their clerks, may be removed, after due notice and an opportu- 
 nity of being heard by such court as may be prescribed by law, for 
 cause to be assigned in the order of removal. Justices of the Peace 
 and District Court Justices shall be elected in the diflercnt cities of 
 this State, in such manner, and with such powers, and for such terms, 
 respectively, as shall be prescribed by law ; all other judicial officers 
 in cities, whose election or appointment is not otherwise provided for 
 in this article, shall be chosen by the electors of cities, or appointed 
 by some local authorities thereof. 
 
COXSTITCTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 343 
 
 Sec. 19. Inferior local courts of civil and criminal jurisdiction may 
 be established by tlie Legislature ; and except as herein otherwise 
 provided, all judicial officers shall be elected or appointed at such 
 times, and in such manner, as the Legislature may direct. 
 
 Sec. 20. Clerks of the several counties shall be clerks of the Su- 
 preme Court, with such powers and duties as shall be prescribed by 
 law. The Clerk of the Court of Appeals shall keep his office at the 
 seat of government. His compensation shall be fixed by law, and 
 paid out of the public treasury. 
 
 Sec. 21. No judicial officer, except Justices of the Peace, shall re- 
 ceive to his own use any fees or perquisites of office ; nor shall any 
 Judge of the Court of Appeals, Justice of the Supreme Court, or Judge 
 of a Court of Record in the cities of New York, Brooklyn, or Buffalo, 
 practise as an attorney or counsellor in any Court of Eecord in this 
 State, or act a.s referee. 
 
 Sec 22. The Legislature may authorize the judgments, decrees, and 
 decisions of any Court of Record of original civil jurisdiction, estab- 
 lished in a city, to be removed for review, directly into the Court of 
 Appeals. 
 
 Sec. 23. The Legislature shall provide for the speedy publication 
 of all statutes, and also for the appointment, by the justices of the 
 Supreme Court designated to hold general terms, of a reporter of the 
 decisions of that court. All laws and judicial decisions shall be free 
 for publication by any person. 
 
 Sec. 24. The first election of judges of the Court of Appeals, and 
 of the tliree additional judges of the Court of Common Pleas for the 
 city and county of New York, shall take place on such day, between 
 the first Tuesday of April and the second Tuesday in June, next after 
 the adoption of this article, as may be provided by law. The Court 
 of Appeals, the Commissioners of Appeals, and the additional judges 
 of the said Court of Common Pleas, shall respectively enter upon 
 their duties on the first Monday of July thereafter. 
 
 Sec 25. Surrogates, Justices of the Peace, and local judicial officers 
 provided for in Section Sixteen, in office when this article shall take 
 effect, shall hold their respective offices until the expiration of their 
 terms. 
 
 Sec 26. Courts of Special Sessions shall have such jurisdiction of 
 offences of the grade of misdemeanors as may be prescribed by 
 law. 
 
 Sec 27. For the relief of Surrogates^ Courts^ the Legislature may 
 confer upon Courts of Record, in any county having a population ex- 
 ceeding four hundred thousand, the powers and jurisdiction of Sur- 
 rogates, with authority to try issues of fact by jury, in probate 
 cases. 
 
344 APPENDIX. 
 
 ARTICLE VIL 
 
 Section 1. After paying the expenses of collection, superintendence, 
 and ordinary repairs, there shall be appropriated and set apart in each 
 fiscal year, out of the revenues of the State canals in each year, 
 commencing on the first day of June, one thousand eight hundred 
 and forty-six, tlie sum of one million and three hundred thousand 
 dollars, until the first day of June, one thousand eight hundred and 
 fifty-five, and from that time the sum of one million and seven hun- 
 dred thousand dollars in each fiscal year, as a sinking fund to pay the 
 interest and redeem the principal of that part of the State debt called 
 the canal debt, as it existed at the time first aforesaid, and including 
 three hundred thousand dollars then to be borrowed, until the same 
 shall be wholly paid ; and the principal and income of the said sink- 
 ing fund shall be sacredly applied to that purpose. 
 
 Sec. 2. After complying with the provisions of the first section of 
 this article, there shall be appropriated and set apart out of the sur- 
 plus revenues of the State canals, in each fiscal year, commencing on 
 the first day of June, one thousand eight hundred and forty-six, the 
 sum of three hundred and fifty thousand dollars, until the time when 
 a sufficient sum shall have been appropriated and set apart, under the 
 said Pirst Section, to pay the interest and extinguish the entire prin- 
 cipal of the canal debt ; and after that period, then the simi of one 
 miUion and five hundred thousand dollars in each fiscal year, as a 
 sinking fund, to pay the interest and redeem the principal of that part 
 of the State debt called the general fund debt, including the debt for 
 loans of the State credit to railroad companies which have failed to 
 pay the interest thereon, and also the contingent debt on State stocks 
 loaned to incorporate companies which have hitherto paid the interest 
 thereon, whenever and as far as any part thereof may become a charge 
 on the treasury or general fund, until the same shall be wholly paid ; 
 and the principal and income of the said last-mentioned sinking fund 
 shall be sacredly applied to the purpose aforesaid ; and if the payment 
 of any part of the moneys to the said sinking fund shall at any time 
 be deferred by reason of the priority recognized in the First Section 
 of this article, the sum so deferred, with quarterly interest thereon, at 
 the then current rate, shall be paid to the last-mentioned sinking fund, 
 as soon as it can be done consistently with the just rights of the cred- 
 itors holding said canal debt. 
 
 Sec 3.* After paying the said expenses of collection, superinten- 
 dence, and repairs of the canals, and the sums appropriated by the 
 
 * Substituted for Section Three of Article Seven of the original Constitution, 
 bv amendment of 1864. 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 345 
 
 first and second sections of this article, there shall be appropriated 
 and set apart in each fiscal year, out of the surplus revenues of the 
 canals, as a sinking fund, a sum sufficient to pay the interest as it falls 
 due, and extinguish the principal within eighteen years, of any loan 
 made under this section ; and if the said sinking fund shall not be 
 sufficient to redeem any part of the principal at the stipulated times 
 of payment, or to pay any part of the interest of such loans as stipu- 
 lated, the means to satisfy any such deficiency shall be procured on 
 tlic credit of the said sinking fund. After complying with the fore- 
 going provisions, there shall be paid annually out of said revenues, 
 into the treasury of the State, two hundred thousand dollars, to de- 
 fray the necessary expenses of government. The remainder shall, in 
 each fiscal year, be applied to meet the appropriations for the enlarge- 
 ment and completion of the canals mentioned in this section, until 
 the said canals shall be completed. In each fiscal year thereafter the 
 remainder shall be disposed of in such manner as the Legislature may 
 direct, but shall at no time be anticipated or pledged ibr more than 
 one year in advance. The Legislature shall annually, during the next 
 four years, appropriate to the enlargement of the Erie, the Oswego, 
 the Cayuga, and Seneca Canals, and to the completion of the Black 
 River and Genesee Valley Canals, and for the enlargement of the 
 locks of the Champlain Canal, whenever, from dilapidation or decay, 
 it shall be necessary to rebuild tliem, a sum not exceeding two mil- 
 lions two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The remainder of the 
 revenues of the canals, for the current fiscal year in which such ap- 
 propriation is made, shall be applied to meet such appropriation ; and 
 if the same shall be deemed insufficient, the Legislature shall, at the 
 same session, provide for the deficiency by loan. The Legislature 
 shall also borrow one million and five hundred thousand dollars, to 
 refund to the holders of the canal revenue certificates issued under 
 the provisions of chapter four hundred and eighty-five of the Laws 
 of the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, the amount 
 received into the treasury thereon; but no interest to accrue after 
 July first, one tliousand eight hundred and fifty-five, shall be paid on 
 such certificates. The provisions of Section Twelve of this article, re- 
 quiring every law for borrowing money to be submitted to the peo- 
 ple, shall not apply to the loans authorized by this section. No part 
 of the revenues of the canals, or of the funds borrowed under this 
 section, shall be paid or applied upon in consequence of any alleged 
 contract made under chapter four hundred and eighty-five of the 
 Laws of the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, except 
 to pay for work done or materials furnished prior to the fii'st day of 
 June, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two. The rates of toll 
 on persons and property transported on the canals shall not be 
 
346 APPENDIX. 
 
 reduced below those for the year one thousand eight hundred and 
 fifty-two, except by the Canal Board with the concurrence of the 
 Legislature. All contracts for work or materials on any canal shall 
 be made with the person who shall offer to do or provide the same at 
 the lowest price with adequate security for their performance. 
 
 Sec. 4. The claims of the State against any incorporated company 
 to pay the interest and redeem the principal of the stock of the State 
 loaned or advanced to such company, shall be fairly enforced, and not 
 released or compromised ; and the moneys arising from such claims 
 shall be set apart, and applied as part of the sinking fund provided in 
 the second section of this article. But the time limited for the ful- 
 filment of any condition of any release or compromise heretofore 
 made or provided for, may be extended by law. 
 
 Sec. 5. If the sinking funds, or either of them provided in this 
 article, shall prove insufficient to enable the State, on the credit of 
 such fund, to procure the means to satisfy the claims of the creditors 
 of the State as they become payable, the Legislature shall by equita- 
 ble taxes so increase the revenues of the said funds as to make them, 
 respectively, sufficient perfectly to preserve the public faith. Every 
 contribution or advance to the canals, or their debt, from any source 
 other than their direct revenues, shall, with quarterly interest, at the 
 rates then current, be repaid into the treasury, for the use of the State, 
 out of the canal revenues, as soon as it can be done consistently with 
 the just rights of the creditors holding the said canal debt. 
 
 Sec. 6. The Legislature shall not sell, lease, or otherwise dispose 
 of any of the canals of the State ; but they shall remain the property 
 of the State and under its management forever. 
 
 Sec 7. The Legislature shall never sell or dispose of the salt springs 
 belonging to this State. The lands contiguous thereto, and which may 
 be necessary and convenient for the use of the salt springs, may be 
 sold by authority of law and under the direction of the Commission- 
 ers of the Land Office, for the purpose of investing the moneys arising 
 therefrom in other lands alike convenient; but by such sale and 
 purchase the aggregate quantity of these lands shall not be dimin- 
 ished. 
 
 Sec. 8. No moneys shall ever be paid out of the treasury of this 
 State, or any of its funds, or any of the funds under its management, 
 except in pursuance of an appropriation by law ; nor unless such pay- 
 ment be made within two years next after the passage of such appro- 
 priation act; and every such law, making a new appropriation or 
 continuing or reviving an appropriation, shall distinctly specify the 
 sum appropriated, and the object to which it is to be applied : and it 
 shall not be sufficient for such law to refer to any other law to fix 
 such sum. 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 347 
 
 Sec. 9. The credit of the State shall not, in any manner, be given 
 or loaned to or in aid of any individual association or corporation. 
 
 Sec. 10. The State may, to meet casual deficits or failures in reve- 
 nues, or for expenses not provided for, contract debts, but such debts, 
 direct and contingent, singly or in the aggregate, shall not at any time 
 exceed one million of dollars, and the moneys arising from the loans 
 creating such debts shall be applied to the purpose for which they 
 were obtained or to repay the debt so contracted, and to no other 
 purpose whatever. 
 
 Sec 11. In addition to the above limited power to contract debts, 
 the State may contract debts to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, 
 or defend the State in war ; but the money arising from the contract- 
 ing of such debts shall be applied to the purpose for which it was 
 raised or to repay such debts, and to no other purpose whatever. 
 
 Sec 12. Except the debts specified in the tenth and eleventh sec- 
 tions of this article, no debt shall be hereafter contracted by or on 
 behalf of this State, unless such debt shall be authorized by a law, 
 for some single work or object, to be distinctly specified therein ; and 
 such law shall impose and provide ibr the collection of a direct an- 
 nual tax to pay, and sufficient to pay the interest on such debt as it 
 falls due, and also to pay and discharge the principal of such debt 
 within eighteen years from the time of the contracting thereof No 
 such law shall take effect until it shall at a general election have been 
 submitted to the people, and have received a majority of all the votes 
 cast for and against it, at such election. On the final passage of such 
 bill in either House of the Legislature, the question shall be taken by 
 ayes and noes, to be duly entered on the journals thereof, and shall 
 be : " Shall this bill pass, and ought the same to receive the sanction 
 of the people ? " The Legislature may at any time, after the approval 
 of such law by the people, if no debt shall have been contracted in 
 pursuance thereof, repeal the same ; and may at any time, by law, 
 forbid the contracting of any further debt or liability under such law ; 
 but the tax imposed by such act, in proportion to the debt and lia- 
 bility which may have been contracted, in pursuance of such law, 
 shall remain in force and be irrepealable, and be annually collected, 
 until the proceeds thereof shall have made the provision hereinbefore 
 specified to pay and discharge the interest and principal of such debt 
 and liability. The money arising from any loan or stock creating 
 such debt or liability shall be applied to the work or object specified 
 in the act authorizing such debt or liability, or for the repayment of 
 such debt or liabiUty, and for no other purpose whatever. No such 
 law shall be submitted to be voted on within three months after its 
 passage, or at any general election when any other law, or any bill, 
 Or any amendment to the Constitution, shall be submitted to be voted 
 for or apainst. 
 
348 APPENDIX. 
 
 Sec. 13. Every law which imposes, continues, or revives a tax, shall 
 distinctly state the tax and the object to which it is to be apphed ; 
 and it shall not be sufficient to refer to any other law to fix such tax 
 or object. 
 
 Sec. 14. On the final passage, in either House of the Legislature, 
 of every act which imposes, continues, or revives a tax or creates a 
 debt or charge, or makes, continues, or revives any appropriation of 
 public or trust money, or property, or releases, discharges, or com- 
 mutes any claim or demand of the State, the question shall be taken 
 hy ayes and noes, which shall be duly entered on the journals, and 
 three fifths of all the members elected to either House shall, in all 
 such cases, be necessary to constitute a quorum therein. 
 
 ARTICLE Vin. 
 
 Section!. Corporations may be formed under general laws ; but 
 shall not be created by special act, except for municipal purposes, and 
 in cases where, in the judgment of the Legislature, the objects of the 
 corporation cannot be attained under general laws. All general laws 
 and special acts passed pursuant to this section may be altered from 
 time to time, or repealed. 
 
 Sec 2. Dues from corporations shall be secured by such individual 
 liability of the corporators and other means as may be prescribed by 
 law. 
 
 Sec. 3. The term " corporation," as used in this article, shall be con- 
 strued to include all associations and joint-stock companies having 
 any of the powers and privileges of corporations not possessed by 
 individuals or partnerships. And all corporations shall have the right 
 to sue and shall be subject to be sued in all courts in like cases as nat- 
 ural persons. 
 
 Sec. 4. The Legislature shall have no power to pass any act grant- 
 ing any special charter for hanking purposes; but corporations or 
 associations may be formed for such purposes under general laws. 
 
 Sec. 5. The Legislature shall have no power to pass any law sanc- 
 tioning in any manner, directly or indirectly, the suspension of specie 
 payments, by any person, association, or corporation issuing bank- 
 notes of any description. 
 
 Sec. 6. The Legislature shall provide by law for the registry of all 
 bills or notes, issued or put in circulation as money, and shall require 
 ample security for the redemption of the same in specie. 
 
 Sec 7. The stockholders in every corporation and joint-stock asso- 
 ciation for banking purposes, issuing bank-notes or any kind of paper 
 credits to circulate as money, after the first day of January, one 
 thousand eight hundred and fifty, shall be individually responsible, to 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 349 
 
 the amount of their respective share or shares of stock in any such 
 corporation or association, for all its debts and liabilities of every kind, 
 contracted after the said first day of January, one thousand eight hun- 
 dred and fifty. 
 
 Sec. 8. In case of the insolvency of any bank or banking associa- 
 tion, the bill-holders thereof shall be entitled to preference in payment 
 over all other creditors of such bank or association. 
 
 Sec. 9. It shall be the duty of the Legislature to provide for the 
 organization of cities atid incorporated villages, and to restrict their 
 power of taxation, assessment, borrowing money, contracting debts, 
 and loaning their credit, so as to prevent abuses in assessments, and 
 in contracting debt by such municipal corporation. 
 
 ARTICLE IX. 
 
 Section 1. The capital of the Common School Fund, the capital of 
 the Literature Fund, and the capital of the United States Deposit 
 Fund, shall be respectively preserved inviolate. The revenues of the 
 said Common School Fund shall be applied to the support of common 
 schools, the revenues of the said Literature Fund shall be applied to 
 the support of academies, and the sum of twenty-five thousand dol- 
 lars of the revenues of the United States Deposit Fund shall each 
 year be appropriated to and made a part of the capital of the said 
 Common School Fund. 
 
 ARTICLE X. 
 
 Seotiok 1. Sheriffs, clerks of counties, including the Register and 
 Clerk of the city and county of New York, coroners, and district- 
 attorneys shall be chosen by the electors of the respective counties 
 once in every three years, and as often as vacancies shall happen. 
 Sherifis shall hold no other office, and be ineligible for the next three 
 years after the termination of their offices. They may be required 
 by law to renew their security from time to time : and, in default of 
 giving such new security, their offices shall be deemed vacant. But 
 the county shall never be made responsible for the acts of the Sheriff. 
 The Governor may remove any officer in this section mentioned, 
 within the term for which he shall have been elected ; giving to such 
 officer a copy of the charges against him, and an opportunity of being 
 heard in his defence. 
 
 Sec. 2. All county officers whose election or appointment is not 
 provided for by this Constitution shall be elected by the electors of 
 the respective counties, or appointed by the Boards of Supervisors, 
 or other county authorities, as the Legislature shall direct. All city, 
 
350 APPENDIX. 
 
 town, and village officers, whose election or appointment is not pro- 
 vided for by this Constitution, shall be elected by the electors of such 
 cities, towns, and villages, or of some division thereof, or appointed 
 by such authorities thereof as the Legislature shall designate for that 
 purpose. All other officers whose election or appointment is not pro- 
 vided for by this Constitution, and all officers whose offices may here- 
 after be created by law, shall be elected by the people, or appointed 
 as the Legislature may direct. 
 
 Sec. 3. When the duration of any office is not provided by this 
 Constitution, it may be declared by law; and if not so declared, such 
 office shall be held during the pleasure of the authority making the 
 appointment. 
 
 Sec 4. The electing all officers named in this article shall be pre- 
 scribed by law. 
 
 Sec. 5. The Legislature shall provide for filling vacancies in office, 
 and, in case of elective officers, no person appointed to fill a vacancy 
 shall hold his office by virtue of such appointment longer than the 
 commencement of the political year next succeeding the first annual 
 election after the happening of the vacancy. 
 
 Sec 6. The political year and legislative term shall begin on the 
 first day of January ; and the Legislature shall, every year, assemble 
 on the first Tuesday in January, unless a different day be appointed 
 by law. 
 
 Sec 7. Provision shall be made by law for the removal, for mis- 
 conduct or malversation in office, of all officers (except judicial) whose 
 powers and duties are not local or legislative, and who shall be elected 
 at general elections, and also for supplying vacancies created by such 
 removal. 
 
 Sec. 8. The Legislature may declare the cases in which any office 
 shall be deemed vacant, when no provision is made for that purpose 
 in this Constitution. 
 
 ARTICLE XI. 
 
 Section 1. The militia of this State shall, at all times hereafter, be 
 armed and disciphned, and in readiness for service ; but all such inhab- 
 itants of this State, of any religious denomination whatever, as from 
 scruples of conscience may be averse to bearing arms, shall be excused 
 therefrom, upon such conditions as shall be prescribed by law. 
 
 Sec 2. Militia officers shall be chosen or appointed as follows : 
 Captains, subalterns, and non-commissioned officers shall be chosen 
 by the written votes of the members of their respective companies ; 
 field officers of regiments and separate battalions, by the written votes 
 of the commissioned officers of their respective regiments and sepa- 
 rate battalions ; brigadier-generals and brigade inspectors by the field 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 351 
 
 officers of their respective brigades ; major-generals, brigadier-gen- 
 erals, and commanding officers of regiments or separate battalions 
 shall appoint the staff officers to their respective divisions, brigades, 
 regiments, or separate battalions. 
 
 Sec. 3. The Oovernor shall nominate, and, with the consent of the 
 Senate, appoint all major-generals, and the commissary-general. The 
 adjutant-general and other chiefs of staff departments, and aides-de- 
 camp of the Commander-in-Chief, shall be appointed by the Governor, 
 and their commissions shall expire vrith the time for which the Gov- 
 ernor shall have been elected. The commissary-general shall hold 
 his office for two years. He shall give security for the faithful exe- 
 cution of the duties of his office, in such manner and amount as shall 
 be prescribed by law. 
 
 Sec 4. The Legislature shall, by law, direct the time and manner 
 of electing militia officers, and of certifying their elections to the 
 Governor. 
 
 Sec. 5. The commissioned officers of the mihtia shall be commis- 
 sioned hy the Governor; and no commissioned officer shall be re- 
 moved from office, unless by the Senate on the recommendation of 
 the Governor, stating the grounds on which such removal is recom- 
 mended, or by the decision of a court-martial, pursuant to law. The 
 present officers of the militia shall hold their commissions subject to 
 removal as before provided. 
 
 Sec 6. In case the mode of election and appointment of militia 
 officers hereby directed, shall not be found conducive to the improve- 
 ment of the militia, the Legislature may abolish the same and provide 
 by law for their appointment and removal, if two thirds of the mem- 
 bers present in each House shall concur therein. 
 
 ARTICLE XIL 
 
 Section 1. Members of the Legislature, and all officers, executive 
 and judicial, except such inferior officers as may be by law exempted, 
 shall, before they enter on the duties of their respective offices, take 
 and subscribe the following oath or affirmation : — 
 
 " I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will 
 support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution 
 of the State of New York ; and that I will faithfully discharge the 
 duties of the office of according to the best of my ability." 
 
 And no other oath, declaration, or test shall be required as a quali- 
 fication for any office or public trust. 
 
352 APPENDIX. 
 
 ARTICLE XIII. 
 
 Section 1. Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution 
 may be proposed in the Senate and Assembly ; and if the same shall 
 be agreed to by a majority of the members elected to each of the 
 two Houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be en- 
 tered on their journals with the yeas and nays taken thereon, and 
 referred to the Legislature to be chosen at the next general election 
 of senators, and shall be published for three months previous to the 
 time of making such choice ; and if in the Legislature so next chosen 
 as aforesaid such proposed amendment or amendments shall be agreed 
 to by a majority of all the members elected to each House, then it 
 shall be the duty of the Legislature to submit such proposed amend- 
 ment or amendments to the people, in such manner and at such time 
 as the Legislature shall prescribe ; and if the people shall approve and 
 ratify such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors 
 qualified to vote for members of the Legislature voting thereon, such 
 amendment or amendments shall become part of the Constitution. 
 
 Sec. 2. At the general election to be held in the year eighteen 
 hundred and sixty-six, and in each twentieth year thereafter, and 
 also at such time as the Legislature may by law provide, the question, 
 " Shall there be a Convention to revise the Constitution and amend 
 the same ? " shall be decided by the electors qualified to vote for 
 members of the Legislature ; and in case a majority of the electors 
 so qualified, voting at such election, shall decide in favor of a Con- 
 vention for such purpose, the Legislature at its next session shall 
 provide by law for the election of delegates to such Convention. 
 
 Done in Convention at the capitol in this city of Albany the ninth 
 day of October, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, and of the 
 Independence of the United States of America the ninety-first. 
 
 JOHN TRACY, President, 
 and Delegate from the county of Chenango. 
 Ja.mes F. Starbuck, J 
 H. W. Strong, > Secretaries. 
 Fr. Seger, 1 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 353 
 
 THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF NEW YOEK. 
 Adopted November 3, 1846. 
 
 ARTICLE I. 
 
 Sectiojt 
 
 Sec. 
 
 2. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 3. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 4. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 5. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 6. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 7. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 8. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 9. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 10. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 11. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 12. 
 
 ■Sec. 
 
 13. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 14. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 15. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 16. 
 
 Sec. 
 
 17. 
 
 1. No person to be disfranchised. 
 Trial by jury. 
 Religious liberty. 
 Writ of habeas corpus. 
 Bail, fines. 
 Grand jury. 
 
 Private property — Private roads. 
 Freedom of speech and of the press. 
 Two-third bills. 
 
 Right of petition — Divorces — Lotteries. 
 Right of property in lands — Escheats. 
 Feudal tenures abolished. 
 Allodial tenure. 
 Certain leases invaUd. 
 Fines and quarter sales abolished. 
 Sale of lands. 
 
 Old colony laws and acts of the Legislature — Common 
 law — Commissioners to be appointed — their duties. 
 Sec. 18. Grants of land since 1775 — Prior grants. 
 
 ARTICLE IL 
 
 Section 1. Qualification of voters — Freehold required for a man 
 of color. 
 Sec. 2. Persons excluded from right of sufirage. 
 Sec. 3. Certain employments not to affect residence of voters. 
 Sec. 4. Laws to be passed. 
 Sec. 5. Election to be by ballot. 
 
 ARTICLE in. 
 
 Section 1. Legislative powers. 
 Sec. 2. Senate, number of — Assembly, number of. 
 Sec. 3. State divided into thirty-two senatorial districts — bounda- 
 ries thereof — Board of Supervisors of the city of New York to 
 23 
 
354 APPENDIX. 
 
 divide the county into four Senate districts — Certificate, &c., to be 
 filed. 
 
 Sec. 4. Census to be taken in 1855, and every ten years — Senate 
 districts, how altered. 
 
 Sec. 5. Members of Assembly, how apportioned and chosen — 
 Boards of Supervisors in certain counties to divide the same into 
 Assembly districts — Description of Assembly districts to be filed — 
 Contents of assembly districts — Legislature to reapportion members 
 of Assembly — Each county entitled to one member — Hamilton 
 County. 
 
 Sec. 6. Pay of members — Additional compensation to Speaker. 
 
 Seo. 7. No member to receive an appointment. 
 
 Sec. 8. Persons disqualified from being members. 
 
 Sec. 9. Time of election fixed. 
 
 Sec. 10. Powers of each House. 
 
 Sec 11. Journals to be kept. 
 
 Sec 12. No member to be questioned, &c. 
 
 Sec 13. Bills may originate in either House. 
 
 Sec. 14. Enacting clause of bills. 
 
 Sec 15. Assent of a majority of all the members required, &o. 
 
 Sec 16. Restriction as to private and local bills. 
 
 Sec. 17. Local legislative powers conferred on Boards of Super- 
 visors. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 Sectio:j 1. Executive power, how vested. 
 
 Sec. 2. Requisite qualifications of Governor. 
 
 Sec 3. Time and manner of electing Governor and Lieutenant- 
 Governor. 
 
 Sec. 4. Duties and power of Governor — His compensation. 
 
 Sec 5. Pardoning power vested in the Governor. 
 
 Sec 6. Powers of Governor to devolve on Lieutenant-Governor. 
 
 Sec. 7. Requisite qualifications of Lieutenant-Governor — To be 
 President of the Senate, and to act as Governor in certain cases. 
 
 Sec 8. Compensation of Lieutenant-Governor in certain cases. 
 
 Sec 9. Bills to be presented to the Governor for signature — If re- 
 turned by him with objections, how disposed of — Bills to be returned 
 within ten days. 
 
 ARTICLE V. 
 
 Section 1. State officers, how elected, and terms of office. 
 Sec 2. State Engineer and Surveyor, how chosen, and term of 
 of&ce. 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 355 
 
 Sec. 3. Canal Commissioners, how chosen, and terms of office. 
 
 Sec. 4. Inspectors of State Prisons, how elected, and terms of 
 office. 
 
 Sec 5. Commissioners of the Land Office — Commissioners of the 
 Canal Fund — Canal Board. 
 
 Sec 6. Powers and duties of Boards, &c. 
 
 Sec 7. Treasurer may be suspended by Grovemor. 
 
 Sec 8. Certain offices abolished. 
 
 AETICLE VI. 
 
 Section 1. Court of Impeachment. 
 
 Secs. 2, 3. Court of Appeals, and vacancies in, how filled. 
 
 Seos. 4, 5. Commissioners of Appeal to hear pending causes, powers 
 of. and vacancies in, how filled. 
 
 Sec 6. Supreme Court how composed, jurisdiction of. 
 
 Sec 7. General Terms. 
 
 Sec 8. What judges or justices may sit on Appeals and Writs of 
 Error — Equity cases. 
 
 Sec 9. Vacancies in Supreme Court, how filled. 
 
 Sec 10. Judges of Court of Appeals and Supreme Court to hold 
 no other office. 
 
 Sec. 11. Judicial officers how removable. 
 
 Sec. 12. Superior Courts and Courts of Common Pleas in New 
 York, Brooklyn, and Buffalo. 
 
 Sec. 13. Justices of Supreme Court how chosen and official terms. 
 
 Sec 14. Compensation of judges and justices. 
 
 Sec 15. County Courts, Courts of Sessions, Justices of the Peace, 
 and Surrogates. 
 
 Sec 16. Vacancies in County and Surrogate Courts. 
 
 Sec 17. Election or appointment of judges of Court of Appeals 
 and Supreme Court to be determined by people in November, 1873. 
 
 Sec. 18. Justices of the Peace, how elected and removed. 
 
 Sec. 19. Inferior local courts, how to be constituted. 
 
 Sec 20. Clerks of Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. 
 
 Sec 21. Fees and perquisites not to be received by any judicial 
 officer except Justices of the Peace — .Judges and Justices of Courts 
 of Record not to practise as attorneys, counsellors, or referees. 
 
 Sec. 22. Removal of judgments, orders, or decrees in city courts to 
 Court of Appeals for review. 
 
 Sec 23. Publication of laws and decisions of courts. 
 
 Sec 24. Time of election of Judges of Court of Appeals and Com- 
 mon Pleas in New York, and commencement of their official term. 
 
356 APPENDIX. 
 
 Sec. 25. Surrogates, Justices of the Peace, and local judicial of- 
 ficers, to hold over until expiration of their term. 
 
 Sec. 26. Jurisdiction of courts of special session. 
 
 Sec. 27. Powers of Surrogate Courts in certain cases to be con- 
 ferred upon Courts of Record. 
 
 ARTICLE VII. 
 
 Section 1. Canal debt — Sinking Fund — June 1, 1846, $ 1,- 
 300,000 — June 1, 1855, $ 1,700,000. 
 
 Sec 2. General Fund debt — Sinking Fund, $ 350,000 ; after certain 
 period, S 1,500,000. 
 
 Sec. 3. $ 200,000 of the surplus canal revenues annually appro- 
 priated to General Fund, and the remainder to specific public works 
 — Certain deficiencies in the revenues, not exceeding $ 250,000, an- 
 nually to be supplied from the revenues of the canals. 
 
 Sec 4. Loans to incorporated companies not to be released or 
 compromised. 
 
 Sec. 5. Legislature shall, by equitable taxes, increase the revenues 
 of the Sinking Fund in certain cases. 
 
 Sec 6. Canals of the State not to be leased or sold. 
 
 Sec 7. Salt springs. 
 
 Sec 8. Appropriation biUs. 
 
 Sec 9. State credit not to be loaned. 
 
 Sec 10. Power to contract debts limited. 
 
 Sec 11. Debts to repel invasion, &c., may be contracted. 
 
 Sec 12. Limitation of the legislative power in the creation of 
 debts. 
 
 Sec 13. Manner of passing bills imposing a tax. 
 
 Sec 14. Same subject. 
 
 ARTICLE Vni 
 
 Section 1. Corporations, how created. 
 Sec 2. Debts of corporations. 
 Sec 3. " Corporations " defined. 
 Sec 4. Charters for banking purposes. 
 Sec 5. Specie payments. 
 Sec 6. Registry of bills or notes. 
 Sec. 7. Individual responsibility of stockholders. 
 Sec. 8. Insolvency of banks, preference. 
 
 Sec 9. Legislature to provide for the incorporation of cities and 
 villages, and to define powers thereof in certain cases. 
 
CONSTITUTION OF STATE OF NEW YORK. 367 
 
 AETICLE IX. 
 
 Section 1. Common School, Literature, and United States Deposit 
 Funds. 
 
 AETICLE X. 
 
 Section 1. Sheriffs, County Clerks, Eegister and Clerk of New 
 York, Coroners, and District- Attorneys — how elected and removed. 
 
 Sec3. 2, 3, 4, 5. Other county, town, city, village, or other officers, 
 how elected or appointed — Duration of official term, and vacancies, 
 how filled. 
 
 Sec. 6. Political and legislative year. 
 
 Secs. 7, 8. Provision for removal of pubUc officers, and vacancies. 
 
 ARTICLE XI. 
 
 Provision for arming and disciplining the Militia of the State — Elec- 
 tion and appointment of officers — Commissary-General, Adjutant- 
 General, and Staff of Commander-in-Chief 
 
 ARTICLE XIL 
 Oaths of office prescribed. 
 
 ARTICLE Xm. 
 
 Amendments to Constitution, how to be made — Provision for 
 future State Conventions. 
 
358 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 COUNTIES AND POPULATION OF THE STATE OF 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 Corsins. 
 
 1836. 
 
 1840. 
 
 1846. 
 
 1850. 
 
 1866. 
 
 1860. 
 
 1865. 
 
 1 Albany, . . . 
 
 69,762 
 
 68,593 
 
 77,268 
 
 93,279 
 
 103,681 
 
 113,916 
 
 115,504 
 
 A;lef;aiiy, . . 
 
 27,295 
 
 30,266 
 
 31,402 
 
 37,808 
 
 42,910 
 
 41.881 
 
 40,285 
 
 Broonit', . . 
 
 20,190 
 
 22,338 
 
 26,808 
 
 30,660 
 
 36,660 
 
 35,906 
 
 37,933 
 
 Cattaraugus, . 
 
 24,986 
 
 28,872 
 
 30,169 
 
 38,950 
 
 39,630 
 
 43,886 
 
 42,206 
 
 ICavuga 
 
 49,202 
 
 50,338 
 
 49,663 
 
 66,458 
 
 63,671 
 
 65,767 
 
 65,730 
 
 Chautauqua, 
 
 44,809 
 
 47,976 
 
 46,548 
 
 50,493 
 
 53,380 
 
 58,418 
 
 58,628 
 
 Chemung, . . . . 
 
 14,439 
 
 15,483 
 
 17,742 
 
 21,737 
 
 27,288 
 
 26,917 
 
 31,923 
 
 Chenango, . . . 
 
 40,702 
 
 40,785 
 
 39,900 
 
 40,311 
 
 39,916 
 
 40,934 
 
 38,360 
 
 Clinton 
 
 20,742 
 
 28,157 
 
 31,278 
 
 40,047 
 
 42,482 
 
 45,735 
 
 46,713 
 
 Columbia, . . 
 
 40,746 
 
 43,252 
 
 41,976 
 
 43,073 
 
 44,391 
 
 47,172 
 
 44,905 
 
 Cortland, 
 
 24,168 
 
 24,607 
 
 25,081 
 
 25,140 
 
 24,575 
 
 26,294 
 
 24,815 
 
 Delaware, 
 
 34,192 
 
 35,396 
 
 36,990 
 
 89,834 
 
 39,749 
 
 42,466 
 
 41,638 
 
 Dutcbess, 
 
 60,704 
 
 52,398 
 
 65,124 
 
 68,992 
 
 60,635 
 
 64,941 
 
 65,192 
 
 Erie 
 
 67,594 
 
 62,465 
 
 78,635 
 
 100,993 
 
 132,381 
 
 141,971 
 
 167,160 
 
 Essex, . . 
 
 20,699 
 
 23,634 
 
 25,102 
 
 31,148 
 
 28,539 
 
 28,214 
 
 28,644 
 
 Franklin, , . 
 
 12,501 
 
 16,618 
 
 18,692 
 
 25,102 
 
 25,477 
 
 30,837 
 
 28,675 
 
 Fulton, . . 
 
 S'^''' 
 
 18,049 
 
 18,679 
 
 20,171 
 
 23,284 
 
 24,162 
 
 24,612 
 
 Genesee, . . 
 
 29,145 
 
 28,705 
 
 28,845 
 
 28,488 
 
 31,034 
 
 32,189 
 
 31,728 
 
 Greene 
 
 30,173 
 
 30,446 
 
 31,957 
 
 33,126 
 
 31,137 
 
 31,930 
 
 31,710 
 
 Hamilton, . . 
 
 1,664 
 
 1,907 
 
 1,882 
 
 2.188 
 
 2,543 
 
 3,024 
 
 2,653 
 
 Herkimer, 
 
 36,201 
 
 37,447 
 
 37,424 
 
 38,244 
 
 38,566 
 
 40,561 
 
 39,154 
 
 Jefferson, . . . 
 
 63,088 
 
 60,984 
 
 64,999 
 
 68,153 
 
 66,420 
 
 69,825 
 
 66,448 
 
 Kings, . 
 
 32,057 
 
 47,613 
 
 78,691 
 
 138,882 
 
 216,365 
 
 279,122 
 
 310,824 
 
 Lewis, . , , , 
 
 16,093 
 
 17,830 
 
 20,218 
 
 24,664 
 
 26.229 
 
 28,680 
 
 27,840 
 
 Livingston, . . 
 
 31,092 
 
 37,777 
 
 38,389 
 
 40,875 
 
 37,943 
 
 39,546 
 
 37,556 
 
 iMadison, . . 
 
 41,741 
 
 40,008 
 
 40,987 
 
 43,072 
 
 43,687 
 
 43,545 
 
 42,607 
 
 Monroe, . . . 
 
 58,085 
 
 64,902 
 
 70,889 
 
 87,660 
 
 96,324 
 
 100,648 
 
 104,235 
 
 Montgomery, . 
 
 48,359 
 
 35,818 
 
 29,643 
 
 31,992 
 
 30,808 
 
 30,866 
 
 31,447 
 
 Xew York, . 
 
 268,089 
 
 312,n0 
 
 371,223 
 
 515,547 
 
 629,610 
 
 813,669 
 
 726,386 
 
 Niagara, . . 
 
 26,490 
 
 31,132 
 
 34,550 
 
 42,276 
 
 48,282 
 
 50,399 
 
 49,656 
 
 Oneida, . . 
 
 77,518 
 
 85,310 
 
 84,776 
 
 99,666 
 
 107,749 
 
 105,202 
 
 102,713 
 
 Onondaga, 
 
 60,908 
 
 67,911 
 
 70,176 
 
 85,890 
 
 86,575 
 
 90,686 
 
 93,332 
 
 Ontario, . . . 
 
 40,870 
 
 43,501 
 
 42,592 
 
 43,929 
 
 42,672 
 
 44,663 
 
 43,316 
 
 Orange, 
 
 45,096 
 
 50,739 
 
 62,227 
 
 67,145 
 
 60,868 
 
 03,812 
 
 70,165 
 
 Orleans, . 
 
 22,893 
 
 25,127 
 
 25,845 
 
 28,501 
 
 28,435 
 
 28,717 
 
 28,603 
 
 Oswego, . 
 
 38,245 
 
 43,619 
 
 48,441 
 
 62,198 
 
 69,398 
 
 75,958 
 
 76,200 
 
 Otsego, 
 
 50,428 
 
 49,628 
 
 50,509 
 
 48,638 
 
 49,736 
 
 60,157 
 
 48,616 
 
 Putnam,. . . . 
 
 11,&-.1 
 
 12,825 
 
 13,258 
 
 14,138 
 
 13,934 
 
 14,002 
 
 14,845 
 
 Queens, . . 
 
 25,130 
 
 30,324 
 
 30,849 
 
 36,833 
 
 46,266 
 
 67,391 
 
 67,997 
 
 Rensselaer, .... 
 
 66,515 
 
 60,269 
 
 62,338 
 
 73,363 
 
 79,234 
 
 86,328 
 
 88,210 
 
 Richmond, . . . . 
 
 7,691 
 
 10,965 
 
 13,673 
 
 15,061 
 
 21,389 
 
 25,492 
 
 28,209 
 
 Roekland, . . , 
 
 9,696 
 
 11,975 
 
 13,741 
 
 16,962 
 
 19,611 
 
 22,492 
 
 20.788 
 
 St. Lawrence, . 
 
 42,047 
 
 56,706 
 
 62,a54 
 
 68,617 
 
 74,977 
 
 83,689 
 
 80,994 
 
 Saratoga, . 
 
 38,012 
 
 40,653 
 
 41,477 
 
 45,646 
 
 49,379 
 
 61,729 
 
 49,892 
 
 -■Schenectady, 
 
 16,230 
 
 17,387 
 
 16,630 
 
 20,0.54 
 
 19,572 
 
 20,002 
 
 20,888 
 
 Schoharie, . 
 
 28,608 
 
 32,358 
 
 32.488 
 
 33,548 
 
 33,519 
 
 34,469 
 
 33,353 
 
 Schuyler, . 
 
 15,163 
 
 16,388 
 
 17,327 
 
 18,519 
 
 18,777 
 
 18,840 
 
 18,441 
 
 Seneca, . . 
 
 22,627 
 
 24,874 
 
 24,972 
 
 25,441 
 
 25,358 
 
 28,138 
 
 27,653 
 
 Steuben, . . 
 
 84,961 
 
 40,651 
 
 46,203 
 
 68,388 
 
 62,965 
 
 66,690 
 
 66,192 
 
 Suffolk, . 
 
 28,274 
 
 32,469 
 
 34 ,.579 
 
 36,922 
 
 40,906 
 
 43,276 
 
 42,869 
 
 Sullivan, 
 
 13,755 
 
 15,629 
 
 18,727 
 
 25,088 
 
 29,487 
 
 32,385 
 
 32,741 
 
 Tioga, . . 
 
 16,534 
 
 20,527 
 
 22,456 
 
 24,880 
 
 26,962 
 
 28,748 
 
 28,163 
 
 Tompkins, . 
 
 32,345 
 
 32,296 
 
 32,264 
 
 32,694 
 
 31,516 
 
 31,409 
 
 30,696 
 
 Ulster, . . 
 
 39,960 
 
 45,822 
 
 48,907 
 
 69.,384 
 
 67,936 
 
 76,381 
 
 76,609 
 
 \Varrcn 
 
 12,034 
 
 13,422 
 
 14,908 
 
 17,199 
 
 19,669 
 
 21,434 
 
 21,128 
 
 Washington, 
 
 39,3261 
 
 41,080 
 
 40 ,.554 
 
 44,750 
 
 44,405 
 
 46,904 
 
 40,244 
 
 Wayne, . . 
 
 37,788' 
 
 42,067 
 
 42 .,516 
 
 44,953 
 
 46,700 
 
 47,762 
 
 47,498 
 
 Westchester, . . . 
 
 38,789; 
 
 48.686 
 
 47 ..394 
 
 68.263 
 
 80,678 
 
 99,497 
 
 101,197 
 
 Wyoming, . 
 
 32,771' 
 
 34,245 
 
 30,691 
 
 31,981 
 
 32,148 
 
 31,968 
 
 30,033 
 
 Yates, . . . 
 
 19,796 
 
 ! 
 
 20,044 
 
 20,777 
 
 20,590 
 3,097 ,S94| 
 
 19,812 
 
 20,290 
 
 19,338 
 
 Total, . . . 
 
 2,174,617 
 
 2,428,921 
 
 2,604,496 
 
 3,466,118 
 
 3,880,735 
 
 3,831,777 
 
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS. 359 
 
 CONGRESSIONAL DISTEICTS, 
 
 As Established by Chap. 454, Laws op 1862, Passed April 23, 1862. 
 
 District. 
 
 I. — The counties of Suffolk, Queens, and Eichmond shall com- 
 pose the first district. 
 II. — The sixth, eighth, ninth, tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, six- 
 teenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth wards of the city of 
 Brooklyn, and the towns of Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, 
 New Lots, and New Utrecht in the county of Kings, shall 
 compose the second district. 
 
 III. — The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eleventh, 
 
 thirteenth, fifteenth, and nineteenth wards of the city of 
 Brooklyn, in the county of Kings, shall compose the third 
 district. 
 
 IV. — The first ward (including Governor's Island), second, third, 
 
 fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth wards of the city and county 
 of New York shall compose the fourth district, 
 v. — The seventh, tenth, thirteenth, and fourteenth wards of the 
 city and county of New York shall compose the fifth dis- 
 trict. 
 •VI. — The ninth, fifteenth, and sixteenth wards of the city and 
 
 county of New York shall compose the sixth district. 
 VII. — The eleventh and seventeenth wards of the city and county 
 
 of New York shall compose the seventh district. 
 
 VIII. — The eighteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first wards of the city 
 
 and county of New York shall compose the eighth district. 
 
 IX. — The twelfth ward (including Randall's Island and Ward's 
 
 Island), nineteenth ward (including Blackwell's Island), and 
 
 twenty-second ward of the city and county of New York 
 
 shall compose the ninth district. 
 
 X. — The counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam shall 
 
 compose the tenth district. 
 XI. — The counties of Orange and Sullivan shall compose the 
 eleventh district. 
 XII. — The counties of Dutchess and Columbia shall compose the 
 twelfth district. 
 
 XIII. — The counties of Ulster and Greene shall compose the thir- 
 
 teenth district. 
 
 XIV. — The counties of Albany and Schoharie shall compose the 
 
 fourteenth district 
 
360 APPENDIX. 
 
 District. 
 
 XV. — The counties of Rensselaer and Washington shall compose 
 
 the fifteenth district. 
 XVI. — The counties of Warren, Essex, and Clinton shall compose 
 
 the sixteenth district. 
 XVII. — The counties of St Lawrence and Franklin shall compose 
 
 the seventeenth district. 
 XVni. — The counties of Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, 
 and Schenectady shall compose the eighteenth district. 
 XIX. — The counties of Delaware, Otsego, and Chenango shall 
 
 compose the nineteenth district. 
 XX. — The counties of Jefferson, Lewis, and Herkimer shall 
 
 compose the twentieth district. 
 XXI. — The county of Oneida shall compose the twenty-first dis- 
 trict. 
 XXII. — The counties of Madison and Oswego shall compose the 
 
 twenty-second district. 
 XXm. — The counties of Onondaga and Cortland shaU compose 
 
 the twenty-third district. 
 XXTV. — The counties of Cayuga, Wayne, and Seneca shall com- 
 pose the twenty-fourth district. 
 XXV. — The counties of Ontario, Livingston, and Yates shaU com- 
 pose the twenty-fifth district. 
 XXVI. — The counties of Tioga, Tompkins, Broome, and Schuyler 
 shall compose the twenty-sixth district. 
 XXVII. — The counties of Chemung, Steuben, and AUegany shall 
 
 compose the twenty-seventh district. 
 XXVIII. — The counties of Monroe and Orleans shall compose the 
 twenty-eighth district. 
 XXIX. — The counties of Genesee, Niagara, and Wyoming shall 
 
 compose the twenty-ninth district. 
 XXX. — The county of Erie shall compose the thirtieth district. 
 XXXI. — The counties of Chautauqua and Cattaraugus shall com- 
 pose the thirty-first district. 
 
SENATE DISTRICTS. 361 
 
 SENATE DISTRICTS, 
 
 As Obganized bt the Legislatube, April 25, 1866. 
 
 District. 
 
 I. — Counties of Suffolk, Queens, and Richmond. 
 II. — First, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh, eleventh, thir- 
 teenth, fifteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth wards of the 
 city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings. 
 
 III. — Sixth, eighth, ninth, tenth, twelfth, fourteenth, sixteenth, 
 
 seventeenth, and eighteenth wards of the city of Brook- 
 lyn, and the towns of Flatbush, Flatlands, G-ravesend, New 
 Lots, and New Utrecht, of the county of Kings. 
 
 IV. — First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, thirteenth, 
 
 and fourteenth wards of the city and county of New 
 York. 
 V. — Eighth, ninth, fifteenth, and sixteenth wards of the city 
 and county of New York. 
 VI. — Tenth, eleventh, and seventeenth wards of the city and 
 
 county of New York. 
 VII. — Eighteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first wards of the city 
 
 and county of New York. 
 VIII. — Twelfth, nineteenth, and twenty-second wards of the city 
 and county of New York. 
 IX. — Counties of Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland. 
 
 X. — Counties of Orange and SuUivan. 
 XI. — Counties of Dutchess and Columbia. 
 XII. — Counties of Rensselaer and Washington. 
 XIII. — County of Albany. 
 XrV. — Counties of Greene and Ulster. 
 XV. — Counties of Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton, Hamilton, and 
 
 Schenectady. 
 XVI. — Counties of Warren, Essex, and Clinton. 
 XVII. — Counties of St. Lawrence and Franklin. 
 XVIII. — Counties of Jefferson and Lewis. 
 XIX. — County of Oneida. 
 XX. — Counties of Herkimer and Otsego. 
 XXI. — Counties of Oswego and Madison. 
 XXII. — Counties of Onondaga and Cortland. 
 
 XXIII. — Counties of Chenango, Delaware, and Schoharie. 
 
 XXIV. — Counties of Broome, Tioga, and Tompkins. 
 
362 APPENDIX. 
 
 GOVERNOKS OF NEW YOEK. 
 COLONIAL. 
 
 Cornelius Jacobzen May, 1624 
 
 WiUiam Yerhulst, 1625 
 
 Peter Minuit May 4, 1626 
 
 Wouter Tan Twiller, AppU, 1633 
 
 William Kieft, March 28, 1638 
 
 Petrus Stuyvesant, May 11, 1647 
 
 Richard Nicolls September 8, 1664 
 
 Francis Lovelace, August 17, 1668 
 
 Cornelis Evertse, Jr., and a council of war, Aug. (n. s.) 12, 1673 
 
 Anthony Colve, September 19, 1673 
 
 Edmund Andros, Nov. (n. s.) 10, 1674 
 
 Vnthony BrockhoUes, Commander-in-Chief, , November 16, 1677 
 
 -^ir Edmund Andros, Knt., . . . August 7, 1678 
 
 Anthony BrockhoUes, Commander-in-Chief, . Jan. (n. s.) 13, 1681 
 
 Thomas Dongan, August 27, 1683 
 
 Sir Ed. Andros, August 11, 1688 
 
 Francis Nicholson, Lieutenant-Grovernor, . October 9, 1688 
 
 Jacob Leisler June 3, 1689 
 
 Henry Sloughter, March 19, 1691 
 
 Kichard Ingoldesby, Commander-in-Chief, . July 26, 1691 
 
 l^cnjamin Fletcher, August 30, 1692 
 
 T . ; .,f Bellamont April 13, 1698 
 
 John Nanfan, Lieutenant-Grovernor, . . May 17, 1699 
 
 Earl of Bellamont, July 24, 1700 
 
 Eldest Councillor present. President of the 
 
 Council, March 5, 1701 
 
 John Nanfan, Lieutenant-Governor, . . May 19, 1701 
 
 Lord Cornbury May 3, 1702 
 
 Lord Lovelace, December 18, 1708 
 
 Peter Schuyler, President, .... May 6, 1709 
 
 Richard Ingoldesby, Lieutenant-Governor, May 9, 1709 • 
 
 Peter Schuyler, President, .... May 25, 1709 
 
 Richard Ingoldesby, Lieutenant-Governor June 1, 1709 
 
 Gerardus Beeckman, President, . . . April 10, 1710 
 
 Robert Hunter, June 14, 1710 
 
 Peter Schuyler, President, .... July 21, 1719 
 
 William Burnet September 17, 1720 
 
 John Montgomerie, April 15, 1728 
 
 Rip Tan Dam, President, .... July 1, 1731 
 
 William Cosby, August 1, 1732 
 
GOVERNORS OF NEW YORK. 
 
 363 
 
 George Clarke, President 
 
 George Clarke, Lieutenant-Governor, . 
 
 George Clinton, 
 
 Sir Danvers Osborne, Bart., . 
 
 James De Lancey, Lieutenant-Governor . 
 
 Sir Charles Hardy, Knt 
 
 James De Lancey, Lieutenant-Governor . 
 Cadwallader Colden, President, 
 Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor, 
 
 Robert Monckton 
 
 Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor, 
 
 Robert Monckton, . -^ '. -.- ; .- - 
 
 Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor, 
 
 Sir Henry Moore, Bart., 
 
 Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor, 
 
 Earl of Dunmore, 
 
 AVilliam Try on, 
 
 Cadwallader Colden, Lieutenant-Governor, 
 
 "William Tryon, 
 
 James Robertson,* .... 
 Andrew Elliott, Lieutenant-Governor,* . 
 
 Peter van Brugh Livingston, 
 Nathaniel WoodhuU, President 2>ro tern., 
 Abraham Yates, Jr., President pro iem., 
 Nathaniel Woodhull, 
 John Haring, President pro tern., . 
 Abraham Yates, Jr., President pro tem., 
 Abraham Yates, Jr., . 
 Peter R. Livingston, .... 
 Abraham Ten Broeok, .... 
 Leonard Ganesvoort, President pro tem., 
 Pierre "Van Cortlandt, President of the Council 
 of Safety . . ... May 
 
 March 
 
 10, 
 
 1736 
 
 October 
 
 30, 
 
 1736 
 
 September 
 
 2, 
 
 1743 
 
 October 
 
 10, 
 
 1753 
 
 October 
 
 12, 
 
 1753 
 
 September 
 
 3, 
 
 1755 
 
 June 
 
 3, 
 
 1757 
 
 August 
 
 4, 
 
 1760 
 
 August 
 
 8, 
 
 1761 
 
 October 
 
 26, 
 
 1761 
 
 November 
 
 18, 
 
 1761 
 
 June 
 
 14, 
 
 1762 
 
 June 
 
 28, 
 
 1763 
 
 November 
 
 13, 
 
 1765 
 
 September 
 
 12, 
 
 1769 
 
 October 
 
 19, 
 
 1770 
 
 July 
 
 9, 
 
 1771 
 
 April 
 
 7, 
 
 1774 
 
 June 
 
 28, 
 
 1775 
 
 March 
 
 23, 
 
 1780 
 
 April 
 
 17, 
 
 1783 
 
 CONGRESS, &c. 
 
 May 
 
 23, 
 
 1775 
 
 August 
 
 28, 
 
 1775 
 
 November 
 
 2, 
 
 1775 
 
 December 
 
 6, 
 
 1775 
 
 December 
 
 16, 
 
 1776 
 
 August 
 
 10, 
 
 1776 
 
 August 
 
 28, 
 
 1776 
 
 September 
 
 26, 
 
 1776 
 
 March 
 
 6, 
 
 1777 
 
 April 
 
 18, 
 
 1777 
 
 14, 1777 
 
 STATE. 
 
 George Clinton, t . 
 John Jay, . 
 
 July 
 July 
 
 30, 1777 
 1, 1795 
 
 • Military Governors during the Revolutionary War, not recognizsd by the 
 State of New York. 
 
 t The Constitution of 1777 did not specify the time when the Governor should 
 enter on the duties of his ofiSce. Governor Clinton was declared elected July 
 
364 APPENDIX. 
 
 George Clinton, 1801 
 
 Morgan Lewis 1804 
 
 Daniel D. Tompkins, 1807 
 
 John Tayler, Lieutenant-Grovemor, acting Gov- 
 ernor, March, 1817 
 
 De AVitt Clinton July 1, 1817 
 
 Joseph C. Yates,* January 1, 1823 
 
 De Witt Chnton, 1825 
 
 Nathaniel Pitcher, Lieutenant-Governor, acting 
 
 Governor, February 11, 1828 
 
 Martin Van Buren, 1829 
 
 Enos T. Throop, Lieutenant-Governor, acting 
 
 Governor, March 12, 1829 
 
 Enos T. Throop, 1831 
 
 William L. Marcy, 1833 
 
 William H. Seward, 1839 
 
 William C. Bouck, 1843 
 
 Silas Wright, 1845 
 
 John Young, 1847 
 
 Hamilton Fish, 1849 
 
 Washington Hunt • . . 1851 
 
 Horatio Seymour, 1853 
 
 Myron H. Clark, 1855 
 
 John A. King, 1857 
 
 Edwin D. Morgan, 1859 
 
 Horatio Seymour, 1863 
 
 Eeuben E. Fenton, 1865 
 
 John T. Hoffman 1869 
 
 LIEUTENANT-GOVEKNOKS. 
 
 Pierre Van Cortlandt, 1777 
 
 Stephen Van Rensselaer, 1795 
 
 Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, 1801 
 
 John Broome, 1804 
 
 John Tayler, President j)ro tern, of Senate, . January 29, 1811 
 
 De Witt Clinton, April, 1811 
 
 John Tayler, 1813 
 
 9th, and qnalified on the above day. On the 13th Febmary, 1787, an act was 
 passed for regulating elections, which provided that the Governor and Lieuten- 
 ant-Governor should enter on the duties of their respective offices on the 1st of 
 July after their election. 
 
 * The Constitution of 1821 provided that the Governor and Lieutenant- 
 Governor shall, on and after the year 1823, enter on the duties of their respec- 
 tive offices on the 1st of January. 
 
LIEUTENANT-GOVERNORS OF NEW YORK. 365 
 
 Erastus Root, 1823 
 
 James TaUmadge, 1825 
 
 Kathaniel Pitcher, 1827 
 
 Peter R. Livingston, President j)ro tern, of Senate, . . 1828 
 
 Enos T. Throop, . . 1829 
 
 William M. Oliver, President jjro tem. of Senate, . . . 1830 
 
 Edward P. Livingston, 1831 
 
 John Tracy, 1833 
 
 Luther Bradish, 1839 
 
 Daniel S. Dickinson, 1843 
 
 Addison Gardiner, 1845 
 
 Addison Gardiner, to June, 1847 
 
 Hamilton Fish, 1848 
 
 George AV. Patterson, 1849 
 
 Sanford E. Church 1851 
 
 Sanford E. Church, 1853 
 
 Henry J. Raymond, . 1855 
 
 Henry R Selden, 1857 
 
 Robert Campbell, 1859 
 
 David R. Floyd Jones, 1863 
 
 Thomas G. Alvord, 1865 
 
 Stewart L. "Woodford, 1867 
 
 Allen C. Beach, 1869 
 
366 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 SPEAKERS OF ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF NEW TORK, 
 FBOU 1777 TO 1868. 
 
 Session. 
 
 Name. 
 
 When elected. 
 
 September 10, 1777 
 
 October 
 
 13, 1778 
 
 August 
 
 18, 1779 
 
 September 
 
 7, 1780 
 
 October 
 
 24, 1781 
 
 July 
 
 U, 1782 
 
 January 
 
 21,1784 
 
 October 
 
 15, 1784 
 
 January 
 
 13, 1786 
 
 January 
 
 12, 1787 
 
 January 
 
 9, 1788 
 
 December 
 
 11, 1788 
 
 July 
 
 6, 1789 
 
 January 
 
 5, 1791 
 
 January 
 
 4,1792 
 
 NoTember 
 
 6,1792 
 
 January 
 
 7,1794 
 
 January 
 
 6, 1795 
 
 January 
 
 6, 1796 
 
 NoTember 
 
 1, 1796 
 
 January 
 
 2, 1798 
 
 August 
 
 9, 1798 
 
 January 
 
 28,1800 
 
 November 
 
 4, 1800 
 
 January 
 
 26, 1802 
 
 January 
 
 25, 1803 
 
 January 
 
 31, 1804 
 
 November 
 
 6, 1804 
 
 January 
 
 28, 1806 
 
 January 
 
 27, 1807 
 
 January 
 
 26, 1808 
 
 NoTember 
 
 1, 1808 
 
 January 
 
 30, 1810 
 
 January 
 
 29, 1811 
 
 January 
 
 28, 1812 
 
 November 
 
 3, 1812 
 
 January 
 
 26, 1814 
 
 September 26; 1814 
 
 January 
 
 13, 1816 
 
 November 
 
 5, 1816 
 
 January 
 
 27, 1818 
 
 January 
 
 6, 1819 
 
 January 
 
 4, 1820 
 
 November 
 
 7, 1820 
 
 January 
 
 1, 1822 
 
 January 
 
 27, 1823 
 
 January 
 
 6, 1824 
 
 January 
 
 4, 1825 
 
 January 
 
 3, 1826 
 
 January 
 
 2, 1827 
 
 January 
 
 1, 1828 
 
 January 
 
 5, 1829 
 
 January 
 
 5, 1830 
 
 January 
 
 4, 1831 
 
 January 
 
 3, 1832 
 
 January 
 
 1, 1833 
 
 January 
 
 7, 1834 
 
 January 
 
 6, 18,35 
 
 January 
 
 5, 1S36 
 
 January 
 
 3, 1837 
 
 January 
 
 2, 1838 
 
 January 
 
 1, 1839 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 3 
 4 
 5 
 6 
 7 
 8 
 9 
 10 
 11 
 12 
 13 
 14 
 15 
 16 
 17 
 18 
 19 
 20 
 21 
 22 
 23 
 24 
 25 
 26 
 27 
 28 
 29 
 30 
 31 
 32 
 33 
 34 
 35 
 36 
 37 
 .38 
 39 
 40 
 41 
 42 
 43 
 44 
 45 
 46 
 47 
 48 
 49 
 50 
 51 
 62 
 63 
 64 
 65 
 58 
 57 
 68 
 59 
 60 
 61 
 
 TValter Livingston 
 
 Walter Livingston 
 
 Evert Bancker . 
 
 Evert Bancker 
 
 Evert Bancker 
 
 Evert Bancker 
 
 John Hathom . 
 
 John Hathom 
 
 John Lansing, Jr. 
 
 Richard Varick 
 
 Richard Tarick 
 
 John Lansing, Jr. 
 
 Gulian Ver Planck 
 
 John Watts . 
 
 John Watts . 
 
 John Watts 
 
 James Watson 
 
 William North . 
 
 William North 
 
 Gulian Ver Planck 
 
 Dlrck Ten Broeck 
 
 Dirck Ten Broeck 
 
 Dirck Ten Broeck 
 
 Samuel Osgood . 
 
 Thomas Storm 
 
 Thomas Storm . 
 
 Alexander Sheldon 
 
 Alexander Sheldon 
 
 Alexander Sheldon 
 
 Andrew McCord . 
 
 Alexander Sheldon 
 
 James W. Wilkin 
 
 William North 
 
 Nathan Sanford . 
 
 Alexander Sheldon 
 
 Jacob Rutsen Tan Rensselaer 
 
 James Emot . 
 
 Samuel Young 
 
 Daniel Cruger . 
 
 David Woods 
 
 David Woods . 
 
 Obadiah German . 
 
 John C. Spencer 
 
 Peter Sharp . 
 
 Samuel B. Romune 
 
 Peter R. Livingston 
 
 Richard Goodell 
 
 Clarkson Crolius . 
 
 Samuel Young 
 
 Erastus Root 
 
 Erastus Root . 
 
 Peter Robinson . 
 
 Erastus Root . 
 
 George R. Davis . 
 
 Charles L. Livingston 
 
 Charles L. Livingston 
 
 William Baker 
 
 Charles Humphrey 
 
 Charles Humphrey 
 
 Edward Livingston 
 
 Luther Bradish 
 
 George W, Patterson 
 
SPEAKERS OF ASSEMBLY. 
 
 367 
 
 Session. 
 
 Name. 
 
 When elected. 
 
 6i 
 65 
 66 
 67 
 
 70 
 71 
 72 
 73 
 74 
 74 
 75 
 76 
 
 80 
 81 
 82 
 83 
 84 
 85 
 86 
 87 
 
 90 
 91 
 92 
 
 George W. Patterson . 
 
 Peter B. Porter, Jr. 
 
 Levi S. Chatfield . 
 
 George R. Davis 
 
 £lisha Litctifield . . . . 
 
 Horatio Seymour . 
 
 William Grain .... 
 
 William C. Hasbrouck . 
 
 Amos K. Uadley .... 
 
 Amos K. Uadley 
 
 Noble S. Elderkin 
 
 Henry J. Raymond 
 
 J. B. Vamum, Jr. (extra session) 
 
 Jonas C. Heartt . . 
 
 ■William H. Ludlow . 
 
 Robert H. Pruyn . 
 
 De Witt C. Littlqohn . 
 
 Orrille Robinson 
 
 De Witt C. Littlejohn . 
 
 Thomas G. Alvord . . 
 
 De (Vitt C. Littlejohn . 
 
 De Witt C. Littlqohn . 
 
 De Witt C. Littlqohn . 
 
 Henry J. Raymond . 
 
 Theophilus C. Callicot 
 
 Thomas G. Alvord . 
 
 George G. Hosluns 
 
 Lyman Tremain . , . 
 
 Edmund L. Pitts .... 
 
 William Hitchman . 
 
 Truman G. YoungloTe 
 
 Williun HitchmiLn 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 June 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 January 
 
 10, 
 
 1840 
 1841 
 1842 
 1843 
 1844 
 1845 
 1846 
 1847 
 1848 
 1849 
 1850 
 1861 
 1851 
 1832 
 1853 
 1854 
 1855 
 1856 
 1857 
 1858 
 1859 
 1860 
 1861 
 1862 
 1868 
 1864 
 1865 
 1866 
 1867 
 1868 
 1869 
 1870 
 
368 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 EAILEOADS IN THE STATE OF NEW TOEK. 
 
 Names of Incorporated Companies. 
 
 Length 
 
 Cost of Road and 
 
 in Miles. 
 
 Equipments. 
 
 25 
 
 82,079,068.83 
 
 140 
 
 37,628.65 
 
 12 
 
 
 38 
 
 2,411,055.76 
 
 49 
 
 5,871,375.03 
 
 15i 
 
 217,344.58 
 
 35 
 
 952,731,82 
 
 15i 
 
 682.846.00 
 
 36 
 
 1,119,074.41 
 
 110 
 
 89,015.20 
 
 88 
 
 6,109,932.80 
 
 S4i 
 
 1,183,012.00 
 
 17 
 
 400,000.00 
 
 47 
 
 1,177,384.00 
 
 10 
 
 1,578.80 
 
 J5i 
 
 329,224.92 
 
 17J 
 
 194,197.00 
 
 144 
 
 17,505,037.26 
 
 122 
 
 4,206,820.00 
 
 13 
 
 271,374.87 
 
 10 
 
 276,520.91 
 
 694 
 
 36,594,405.52 
 
 459 
 
 49,247,269.70 
 
 8 
 
 289,168.34 
 
 131 
 62 
 
 10,055,381.92 
 7,720,847.00 
 
 40 
 
 216,660.14 
 
 99 
 
 3,495,832.00 
 
 21 
 
 493,707.45 
 
 12 
 
 296,748.70 
 
 28i 
 
 925,998.89 
 
 36 
 
 1,300,774.73 
 
 118 
 
 4,954,778.77 
 
 23 
 
 1,594,956.00 
 
 76i 
 
 901,025.68 
 
 25 
 
 1399,862.78 
 
 18i 
 
 85 
 
 18 
 
 656,025.74 
 
 480,684.15 
 
 21 
 
 484,684.16 
 
 47 
 
 930,207.31 
 
 6 
 
 81,481.50 
 
 100 
 
 4,712.23 
 
 18 
 
 354,132.24 
 
 n 
 
 495,105.77 
 
 81 
 
 3,182,489.26 
 
 61 
 
 253,918.57 
 
 35 
 
 2.277,344.12 
 
 6 
 
 294,908.36 
 
 2 
 
 762,237.78 
 
 82 
 
 538,496.41 
 
 86 
 
 962,731.82 
 
 189 
 
 4,900.724.40 
 
 10 
 
 172,576.67 
 
 78 
 
 2,218,000.00 
 
 3,497 
 
 8182,369,489.94 
 
 Adirondack ..... 
 Albany and Susquehannah . 
 Albany and Vermont 
 Albany and West Stockbridge 
 Atlantic and Great Western ^ . 
 Avon, Gcneseo, and Mt. Morris . . 
 Black River and Utica 
 Blossburg and Corning .... 
 Buffalo, Corry, and Pittsburg . 
 Bu^lo and Washington 
 Buffalo and Erie .... 
 Cayuga and Susquehannah . 
 Chemung . . ... 
 
 Elmira, Jefferson, and Canandaigua 
 Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville . 
 Genesee Valley . ... 
 
 Hudson and Boston .... 
 
 Hudson River 
 
 Long Island 
 
 Middletown, Unionvillo, and Water Gap 
 
 Montgomery and Erie 
 
 New York Central . ... 
 
 New York and Erie .... 
 
 New York and Flushing 
 
 New York and Harlem . . • 
 
 New York and New Haren . . 
 
 New York, Housatonic, and Northern 
 
 Niagara Bridge and Canandaigua . 
 
 Northern (New Jersey) 
 
 North Shore 
 
 Oswego and Rome .... 
 Oswego and Syracuse .... 
 Ogdensburgh and Lake Champlain . 
 Flattaburg and Montreal . . . 
 Potsdam and Watertown . 
 Rensselaer and Saratoga 
 Rochester and Genesee Valley . 
 Rondont and Oswego .... 
 Sackett's Harbor and Ellisbnrg . 
 Saratoga and Schenectady 
 Saratoga and Wtiitehall 
 
 Schoharie Valley 
 
 Southern Central .... 
 Staten Island . ... 
 
 Sterling Mountain .... 
 Syracuse, Binghamton, and New York , 
 Troy and Bennington 
 
 Troy and Boston 
 
 Troy and Greenbush .... 
 
 Troy Union 
 
 Utica, Chenango, and Susquehannah 
 Utica and Black River .... 
 Watertown, Ogdensburgh, and Rome 
 
 Warwick Valley 
 
 Williamsport and Elmira . 
 
 Total 
 
CANALS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
 
 369 
 
 CANALS IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 
 
 Erie Canal, Cbamplain, and Enlargements, &c. 
 Champlain Canal and Glen's Falls Feeder . 
 
 Black River Canal 
 
 Chenango Canal 
 
 Oneida Lake Canal and Feeder . 
 
 Oswego Canal 
 
 BaldwinsTlUe Canal 
 
 Oneida River Improvements .... 
 Seneca River Towing-Path and ImprOTement . 
 Cayuga and Seneca Canal .... 
 Crooked Lake Canal ... . . 
 
 Chemung Canal and Feeder .... 
 
 Cayuga Inlet 
 
 Genesee Valley Canal Extension and Side Out 
 
 Total 
 
 Extent 
 in Miles. 
 
 3611 
 78} 
 90 
 97 
 
 7 
 88 
 
 1 
 20 
 18 
 23 
 
 2 
 125 
 
 907 
 
 Cost of Construction, 
 Repairs, and Main- 
 tenance. 
 
 $63,570,855.49 
 
 3,6(59,790.91 
 
 3,752,000.68 
 
 188,072.60 
 
 6,303,520.66 
 
 48,691.40 
 
 172,000.00 
 
 1,607.87 
 
 2,140,592.81 
 
 501,570.06 
 
 2,413,032.16 
 
 2,908.16 
 
 7,233,156.38 
 
 888,997,599.17 
 
 The Delaware and Hudson Canal, owned by an incorporated company, 
 is 109 miles in length, 83 of which are in this State. Capital, $ 7,500,000. 
 
 THE Ein>. 
 
 Cambridge : Electrotyped and Printed by Welch, Bigelow, & Co.