Conservation Resources Lig-Free® Type I Ph 8.5, Buffered f 119 .02 Copy 1 ^; SPECIAL HISTOEY OF NEW JOEK.* First Explorers. — It is thought that the first European to behold the shores of the Empire State was the Floren- tine Verrazzani in 1524 (p. 36), and that the " most beau- tiful lake " which he visited in his small boat, and described in his letter to King Francis I. of France, was the Bay of New York. Eighty-five years elapsed without further exploration in this part of the New World. Then (in 1609) Samuel de Champlain, fresh from the founding of Quebec, with two of his countrymen and a party of friendly Canada Indians, ascended the Sorel' River, discovered the picturesque lake that perpetuates his name, and on its shore (probably where Fort Ticonderoga was afterward reared), with the strange thunder of his fire-arms, helped his red allies to defeat the hostile Iroquois. Indian Occnpants. — The Iroquois at this time occupied much of the present state of New York, extending from Lakes Ontario and Erie to the Hudson. They were known by the tribal names of Sen'ecas, Cayu'gas, Onondagas {on- on-daw'gdz)^ Oneidas {o-ni'ddz), and Mohawks. United in a confederacy for mutual defence as early as 1550, they had made themselves objects of terror to the neighboring na- tions, subjugating some and exterminating others. South- east of the Five Nations lived Algonquins — the Lenni-Le- nape {leti'ne le-nah'pa), one division of whom, inhabiting the valley of the Delaware River, were called Dela wares. The * Copyright, by G. P. Quackenbos, 1878. 332 HISTOET OF NEW YOEK. peaceful Mohegans roamed the forests east of the Hudson and on Long Island ; while their kinsmen, the fierce Man- hattans, kindled their council-fires on the present site of the American metropolis. New Netheeland. Early Dutch Explorers. — The same year that made Lake Champlain known to the settlers of New France (1609) is memorable for the more important discovery of the Hudson River (p. 52). A new field for trade was thus opened, of ^^^_^^ _ which the enterpris- ^=^'^^ ^E— ing navigators of the Netherlands hast- ened to avail them- selves. The names most distinguished in connection with their early voyages are Christiaensen, Block, and Mey. Christiaensen founded New Am- sterdam, the present city of New York — erecting four small cabins near the southern point of Man- hattan Island (1613). Block was the first ship - builder. With a yacht which he constructed in 1614 to replace a larger vessel destroyed by fire, he sailed through Long Isl- and Sound, ascended the Connecticut to the rapids in that river, kept on past Roode (red — afterward corrupted into Mhode) Island, and explored the New England coast, almost to Cape Ann, six years before the appearance of the Pil- grims : Block Island still preserves his name. Mey coasted the ocean-side of Long Island, turned southward, gave his name to the lower extremity of New Jersey, and spread the The IIalf-Moon ln the Hudson Eivee. NEW YOEK UNDER THE DUTCH. 333 Dutch flag in Delaware Bay. Bringing over thirty families, principally Walloons (p. 53), in 1623, Mey became the first director-general, or governor, of New Netherland. In 1625, Mey gave place to Verhulst as governor ; and he, the fol- lowing year, was succeeded by Minuit. The Patroon System dates back to Minuit's time (p. 54). Under this arrangement, Michael Pauw obtained title to Staten Island and a tract on the Jersey shore opposite Manhattan ; in the words Communi/>at() and I^avouia his name may still be traced. Van Rensselaer also received an extensive grant, on both sides of the Hudson, in what now constitutes Albany and Rensselaer Counties. Some of these lands are still occupied by descendants of the original tenants. The patroons sent over many families. The Datch West India Company, also, encouraged immigration directly, by transporting settlers across the ocean at the low rate of twelve and a half cents for each day of the voyage, pro- visions included. So New Amsterdam grew ; in 1631, it could boast of building one of the largest ships in the world. Shortly afterward, an ordinance that all passing vessels should discharge their cargoes at that port or pay an impost there, gave the town a monopoly of the whole New Nether- land trade. Wouter {wow'ter — Walter) Van Twiller administered the government, weakly and with an eye mainly to his own profit, from 1633 to 1638. With him came out the first schoolmaster and minister (dominie). He rescued Fort Nas- sau, near the Delaware, from a party of Virginians who had seized it, but could not prevent the men of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay from settling about the trading -post which he had established near the Connecticut (p. 67). His corruption led to his recall, and in 1638 William Kieft be- came governor. Kieft (1638-1647), though hasty and cruel, displayed 334 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. commendable energy in reforming abuses. Settlers, some of them men of considerable means, came over in greater numbers, and began to spread out upon Long Island. Be- sides settlements at Wallabout ( Wallootis^ -Bay) and Flat- lands (see Map, p. 67), Breukelen, destined to become the third city on the continent, was founded in 1639. All this time the title of the Dutch to New Netherland was disputed by England, and the whole of Long Island was claimed by Lord Stirling under a patent from the Council of Plymouth. Buying from Stirling's agents, several companies from New England fixed their abode in different parts of the island. Southampton and Southold, in the east, were founded by Puritans from Massachusetts, who placed them respectively under the jurisdiction of Connecticut and New Haven. Newtown and Gravesend were also settled by emi- grants from Massachusetts, but under charters from the Dutch. Kieft vainly protested against the intrusions of his Eng- lish neighbors. To stop their encroachments on the northern shore of the Sound, he bought the title of the Indians to that whole region ; notwithstanding, Connecticut men established themselves at Stratford and Fairfield, at Stamford, and even as far west as Greenwich (see Map, p. 67). In 1643, Kieft's wanton treachery provoked an Indian war which almost ruined the province. Its immediate cause was the cold-blooded massacre of some River Indians who had sought refuge from the terrible Mohawks on the west bank of the Hudson, opposite Manhattan. Eighty unsus- pecting natives, including women and children, were butch- ered by a party from New Amsterdam acting under Kieft's orders. Immediately a cry for vengeance rose from the Red Men far and near ; nor was their thirst for blood sated till Manhattan was almost depopulated, and many of the outly- ing settlements were broken up. Van Rensselaer's tenants escaped these evils. About NEW YORK UNDER THE DUTCH. 335 Fort Orange had sprung up the thriving Beverswyk, now Albany. There, in 1645, Kieft made a treaty with the Mo- hawks, and upon this the other tribes buried the tomahawk The same year, under Dutch charters, Hempstead, Long Island, was founded by settlers from Connecticut, and Flush- ing by Baptist refugees from Massachusetts. Settlements were also made about this time at Yonkers and Catskill. Peter Stuyvesant, who succeeded Kieft on his recall in 1647, was the last and best governor of New Netherland. He agreed with the authorities of Connecticut on a boundary- line between their respective provinces, — running, on Long Island from the westernmost part of Oyster Bay south to the ocean, and on the mainland from Greenwich Bay northerly twenty miles, and thence as should afterward be settled by the two governments, but nowhere to come within ten miles of the Hudson. Stuyvesant's most important achievement was the con- quest of New Sweden, already recorded (p. 77). During his absence on that expedition, two thousand Indians landed on Manhattan Island, and, after committing outrages there, crossed to Pavonia, and thence to Staten Island, killing and burning as they went. Stuyvesant promptly returned, and by his judicious measures restored peace. New Amsterdam at this time contained a population of about one thousand. It was first incorporated with "a burgher government" in 1652. Conquest by the English. — England had long coveted the thriving Dutch province. During a war with Holland in 1653, Cromwell made preparations for its reduction, but peace was proclaimed in time to prevent hostile operations. Soon after the Restoration, however, Charles II., quietly ignoring the claims of the Dutch West India Company, made over the whole region occupied by New Netherland to his brother, the Duke of York and Albany, who sent over a fleet to take possession. Stuyvesant, left unsupported by HISTORY OF NEW YORK. the people, could offer no resistance, and New Netherland passed into the hands of the English. The colony and its chief town were thenceforth known as New York. Eastern Long Island was soon after purchased and annexed, in utter disregard of the claims of Connecticut. The Colony of New York, english goveenoes. 1720 William Burnet. 1728 John Montgomery. 1731 Rip Van Dam, acting. 1732 William Cosby. 1736 George Clarke, lieu.-gov. 1743 George Clinton. 1753 Sir Danvers Osborne. 1753 James Delaneey, lieu.-gov. 1755 Sir Charles Hardy. 1757 James Delaneey, lieu.-gov. 1760 Cadwallader Coldcn, acting. 1761 Robert Monckton. 1762 Cadwallader Colden, lieu.-gov. 1765 Sir Henry Moore. 1769 Cadwallader Colden, lieu.-gov. 1770 Earl of Dunmorc 1771 William Tryon. 1773 Cadwallader Colden, lieu.-gov. 1775 William Tryon. 1664 Richard Nicolls. 1668 Francis Lovelace. 1673 July 30 to Oct. 31, 1674, Dutch rule restored. 1674 Edmund Andros. 1681 Anthony Brockholls. 1683 Thomas Dongan. 1688 Francis Nicholson, lieu.-gov. 1689 Jacob Leisler, acting. 1691 Henry Sloughter. 1691 Richard Ingoldsby, acting. 1692 Benjamin Fletcher. 1698 Earl of Bellamont. 1701 John Nanfan, lieu.-gov. 1702 Lord Cornbury. 1708 Lord Lovelace. 1709 Richard Ingoldsby, lieu.-gov. 1710 Robert Hunter. 1719 Peter Schuyler, acting. Kidd's Piracy. — The chief events in the colonial history of New York, up to the commencement of the eighteenth century, have been narrated in the preceding text (p. 92). The year 1700 found the Earl of Bellamont, an upright and able Irish peer, administering the government. It was dur- ing his rule that Captain Kidd, who had sailed from Eng- land with an armed vessel and a special commission for the suppression of piracy, but who had turned pirate himself, appeared in the waters of New York. After burying his unrighteous gains in a secret spot, Kidd went to Boston, NEW YORK AN ENGLISH COLONY. 337 Dltch Cottage us New York, ln Eakly Colonial Times. and was there arrested by order of Bellamont, to whose jurisdiction Massachusetts had been added. He was taken to England, tried for piracy, and executed in 1701. Lord Cornbury and his successors till 1738 governed New Jersey as well as New York, the proprietors of the former province having surrendered their patent. Cornbury dis- tinguished himself by his rapacity, and by endeavoring to curtail the liberties of the people, both civil and religious. Hunter's Administration. — Under Governor Hunter, an able official, though in sympathy with the aristocratic partj'^, a number of Germans took refuge from persecution in New York, the British government being at the expense of their transportation. Some remained in the city, while others went up the Hudson and fixed their abode in what is now Columbia County ; hence the name of Germantown. 15 338 HISTORY OF NEW YOEK. During Queen Anne's War, with the sanction of the As- sembly, Hunter joined the authorities of Massachusetts in fittino" out an expedition for the conquest of Canada, which resulted in an expenditure of £10,000 and the issue of the first paper-money made in the colony; but the enterprise failed, through the incapacity of the British admiral who co- operated in the undertaking (1712). Zenger's Trial. — Governor Cosby was at once rapacious, quarrelsome, and tyrannical. During his regime^ the dis- sensions between the aristocratic and democratic factions, which had been rife ever since Leisler's execution (p. 93), culminated in a series of bitter attacks on the governor and his party by Zenger, who defended the rights of the people in the N'ew York Weekly Journal. Zenger was imprisoned, and amid great excitement tried for libel (1735). His ac- quittal, despite the strenuous efforts of the governor, his council, and the court, established the freedom of the press, and was a substantial triumph for the popular cause. Negro Plot. — Ever since the introduction of slavery by the Dutch West India Company, the trade in negroes had been found profitable ; in 1740, they constituted one-fifth of the population of the metropolis. Their rapid increase filled the inhabitants with alarm; and in the spring of 1741, several fires, occurring in quick succession and charged upon the negroes, together with vague rumors of a plot to burn the city and murder the whites, produced a panic. Many fled to the country with their valuables. A number of ne- groes were arrested and frightened into informing against each other. A reign of terror ensued, during which four victims were burned at the stake, eighteen hanged, and seventy-one transported. Several whites also were impli- cated, four of whom were executed. After all, it is doubtful whether any such plot existed ; the witnesses were of the lowest grade, and their evidence was unworthy of credence. French and Indian War. — New York was the scene of NEW YORK AN ENGLISH COLONY. 339 many stirring events during the French and Indian War. Among these were, the battle near Lake George which won knighthood for General William Johnson (1755 — p. 116) — Shirley's fruitless march, which had Niagara and Frontenac in view, but terminated at Oswego — Montcalm's brilliant de- scent upon the last-named place, and subsequent capture of Fort William Henry — the struggle for Ticonderoga, in which Abercrombie failed in 1758 and Amherst triumphed the following year — Bradstreet's expedition through the wil- derness against Fort Frontenac (1758), on his return from which he built Fort Stanwix on the present site of Rome — and the reduction of Fort Niagara by Johnson, after the fall of General Prideaux. The conquest of Canada, one of the great results of this war, insured to the frontier of New York a security it had never before enjoyed, the incursions of the French and their Indian allies during the intercolonial wars having kept the exposed posts in constant alarm. There had been little encouragement to pioneers to penetrate the northern and western wilds. Beyond the frontier settlements at Sara- toga, Schenectady (founded by Van Corlear in 1661), and Sir William Johnson's castle among the Mohawks not far from where Amsterdam now stands, the country to the St. Lawrence and the Lakes was mostly a dense forest, peopled by Red Men alone, threaded only by Indian trails and an occasional military road. In 1758, Fort Schuyler was built on the present site of Utica. At this time, the population of the colony was nearly one hundred thousand ; of the metropolis, over ten thousand. Before the Eevolution. — The people of New York had loyally supported the mother-country during all her strug- gles with France in the New World. At the same time they were keenly jealous of infringements upon their rights ; and when, by taxes wrung from the colonies without their consent, England attempted to reimburse herself for the 340 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. cost of the French and Indian War, New York was among the foremost to protest against the wrong. A procession of patriots carried the hateful Stamp Act through the streets, surmounted by a death's head, and the inscription, " The Folly of England and the Ruin of America." The Colonial Congress of 1765 met in New York City ; one member from New York prepared the declaration of rights adopted by that body, and another the memorial to Parliament. When the odious stamps arrived, such demon- strations were made by the "Sons of Liberty" that the stamp-agent prudently resigned, and Lieutenant-Governor Colden, after having his effigy and carriage burned on the Bowling Green by the excited populace, thought it best to deliver up the stamps to the city authorities. The repeal of the Stamp Act somewhat appeased the people ; but they showed the spirit that animated them by erecting a liberty-pole near where the present City Hall stands, and by several times replacing it at the risk of their lives when the riotous soldiers stationed in the city levelled it to the ground. In all the popular movements which preceded the Revo- lution, the whigs of New York kept abreast of the pa- triots of New England and Virginia. Alexander Hamil- ton, not yet eighteen, eloquently denounced the oppressive course of Parliament at a public meeting. John Jay, a dele- gate to the second Continental Congress, prepared the dec- laration of rights and privileges which it put forth ; and John Lamb, Isaac Sears, and Marinus Willett, stood forth as fearless leaders in the popular cause. News of the bold stand at Lexington was no sooner received than measures were taken for armed resistance, stores designed for the British troops were seized, and a provisional government was formed in the city. New York in the Revolution. — In the Revolution, New York played a prominent part. It was peculiarly important NEW YOEK IN THE REVOLUTION. 341 to the contending parties as the connecting link between the eastern and southern colonies. The city of New York fell into the hands of the British, September 15, 1776, and remained in their possession till the close of the war. Out- side of the city, they were not in sufficient force to occupy the country permanently, though their men-of-war ascended the Hudson, and posts in the Highlands were held by them for a longer or shorter time. The occupation of Manhattan Island by the British of course obliged those who had been active in the. cause of liberty to abandon the city. The Provincial Congress still met, but secretly and with frequent changes of place to avoid treachery and capture. A Committee of Safety, pre- sided over by John Jay, was appointed by this body ; and in April, 1777, a state Constitution was formed by a con- vention of representatives from all the counties, assembled at Kingston. This instrument vested the legislative power in a Senate and Assembly chosen by the people, and the executive in a governor similarly elected every three years. George Clinton, who had led the whig party in the Colo- nial Assembly, was at once chosen governor under this Con- stitution ; and so acceptable was his administration that by successive reelections he continued to hold the office for eighteen years. Delegates to the Continental Congress were duly appointed, and John Jay was made chief -justice of the state. In 1778 the legislature met at Poughkeep- sie,* and gave its assent to the Articles of Confederation. Battle-fields and Generals. — Several noted battle-fields of the Revolution throw around the soil of New York a chain of historical associations. The ill-starred struggle on Long Island, the obstinate battle of White Plains, the disastrous capture of Fort Washington, the hard-pressed siege of Fort * This place had been settled by several Dutch families at the close of the seventeenth century. The name comes from a Mohegan word, meaning " safe and pleasant harbor." 342 HISTOEY OF NEW YORK. Washington's Headquaktees at JiEWBirBG. Schuyler and its happy termination, the desperate conflict at Oris'kany, the glorious engagements of Stillwater, the bloody massacre at Cherry Valley, Wayne's brilliant sur- prise of Stony Point, Sullivan's march with fire and sword through the valleys of the Chemung and Genesee, Arnold's traitorous plot, and Andre's sad fate, — all these rise to the memory in connection with the Revolutionary period in New York. Nor were the gallant sons of New York, nearly eighteen thousand of whom swelled the ranks of the Continental army, wanting in devotion to their country. Her militia on many well-fought fields showed their readiness to bleed and die in her service ; and of her distinguished officers we need only mention, Montgomery, falling before the iron hail at Quebec — Herkimer, mortally wounded yet bolstered on his saddle against a tree directing the fight at Oriskany — Schuyler, the real victor of Saratoga — McDougall, the vigi- NEW YOEK IN THE REVOLUTION. 343 lant defender of the Highlands — the Clintons, bravely con- tending with superior numbers at Forts Clinton and Mont- gomery — and Alexander Hamilton, the faithful confidant of the commander-in-chief. The condition of New York during the war was lam- entable in the extreme — its chief city occupied by the enemy, its territory open to invasion, its fields unculti- vated, its firesides deserted, its frontiers at the mercy of the savage. Another trouble was the large Tory element, for the royal cause did not lack partisans, especially at first, when it bade fair to ---=^_ prevail. Many loy- alists, at the out- set, flocked to the city. There, also, during the whole pe- riod of British occu- pancy, were multi- tudes of unfortunate American prisoners — the soldiers hud- dled together in an old sugar-house, in churches and jails ; the sailors confined in foul decaying hulks moored in the harbor. The poor captives, denied fresh air and wholesome food, and treated with barbarity that it makes the flesh creep to read of, died by thousands; their prisons and prison-ships became so many pest-houses, from which it seemed a mercy to escape even by a horrible death. A monument has been reared in Trinity churchyard to the memory of the patriots who died in prison during the Revolution. Most of the city churches were dismantled by the Brit- ish, for the purpose of turning them into stables, riding- schools, and prisons. Besides this, two extensive conflagra- tions (September 21, 1776, and August 3, 1778) laid a great part of the city in ashes. Bkitish Pkison-ship in Wallabottt Bat. 3M HISTORY OF NEW YOKK. On the conclusion of the war in 1783, New York was the last point of the seaboard that the British left. The day of their departure, November 25th, is still celebrated in the city as " Evacuation Day." The State of New York. goyernors. {A. F., anti-federalist; F., federalist; H., republican; Z>., democrat ; TT., whig.) 1777 George Clinton, A. F. 1795 John Jay, F. 1801 George Clinton, R. or D. 1804 Morgan Lewis, R. orD. 1807 Daniel D. Tompkins, R. or D. 1817 March- July, John Tayler, lieu.- f/ov.^ acting^ R. or D. 1817 July 1, De Witt Clinton, I). 1823 Jan. 1, Joseph C. Yates, D. 1825 De Witt Clinton, D. 1828 Feb. 11, Nathaniel Pitcher, lieu.-gov.^ acting^ D. 1829 Martin Van Burcn, D. 1829 March 12, Enos T. Throop, lieu.-gov.^ acting^ D. 1831 Enos T. Throop, D. 1833 William L. Marcy, D. 1839 William H. Seward, W. After the Revolution. — Exhausted as she was by the war, New York recovered from its depressing effects sooner than most of her sister states. The foreign commerce of the country, gradually reviving, naturally centred at her chief port. The right of levying duties on the imports re- ceived at this emporium, as well as the entire control of the mode of collection, the state of New York reserved to itself. Vain were the solicitations of Congress to be entrusted with authority over these matters, that a more certain revenue might be provided. There was a deep-seated reluctance to concentrate too much power in the general government. 1843 William C. Bouck, D. 1845 Silas Wright, D. 1847 John Young, W. 1849 Hamilton Fish, W. 1851 Washington Hunt, W. 1853 Horatio Seymour, D. 1855 Myron H. Clark, IF. 1857 John A. King, R. 1859 Edwin D. Morgan, R. 1863 Horatio Seymour, D. 18G5 Reuben E. Fenton, R. 1869 John T. Hoffman, D. 1873 John A. Dix, R. 1875 Samuel J. Tilden, D. 1877 Lucius Robinson, D. AFTER THE KEVOLUTION. 345 This was the feeling of Governor Clinton, Judge Robert Yates, and John Lansing, afterward chancellor, who became the champions of state rights in New York ; while Hamil- ton, Schuyler, Jay, and Chancellor Livingston, the leaders of the opposite party, argued for a closer union of the states, and for investing the federal government with power to en- force its authority in matters affecting the Union as a whole. New York sent three delegates to the convention that prepared the Constitution of the United States, but two of them withdrew on finding that it was proposed to supersede the Articles of Confederation with an entirely new instru- ment. Hamilton alone remained to represent his state, and afterward, amid the violence with w^hich the proposed Con- stitution was assailed by the anti-federalists, he was its able and unwearied defender. Indeed, it was mainly his eloquent advocacy that secured its ratification by the state of New York (Jul}' 26, 1788), in the convention assembled at Pough- keepsie to decide the question of its adoption or rejection. From 1785 the city of New York had been the national capital. There, April 30, 1789, with great rejoicings, the beloved Washington was inaugurated the first president (p. 200), and there he discharged the duties of his office till 1790, when the seat of government was removed to Phila- delphia. General Schuyler and Rufus King were in 1789 elected by the legislature the first representatives of New York in the United States Senate. Cities founded. — During the Revolution, a portion of the Mohawks were induced by the British General Johnson, son of the Sir William noted in the French and Indian War, to leave their hunting-grounds and emigrate to Canada. On the restoration of peace, the state seized on the abandoned tract ; and by a treaty concluded with the other Iroquois nations, and by subsequent cessions, it finally came into pos- session of all the lands of the Indians except a few reser- vations. 346 HISTOEY OF NEW YORK. Steal of the State of New Yokk, Commissioners having been appointed to dispose of these and other wild lands, no less than five million acres were sold in 1791, at rates so low as to provoke loud complaints. The fertile regions of central New York, how- ever, were thus opened; they were soon dotted with farms and hamlets, and new counties were organized. Settlements were made at Binghamton in 1787 — at Elmira, in 1790 — and at Auburn, originally known as Hardenburgh's Corners, in 1793. Several years before, a group of pioneers had gathered round Old Fort Schuyler, where Utica now stands. Salina, the oldest part of the city of Syracuse, in which it was afterward incorpo- rated, was first settled in 1789 ; and the same year, the five stores and half dozen dwellings situated at Vanderhey den's Ferry adopted the name of Troy. Hudson had been founded as early as 1783. Watertown dates from 1800 ; Bufi'alo from 1801. Rochester was first permanently settled in 1810, and Cohoes in 1811. Oswego and Ogdensburg are considerably older than the places just named, a trading-post having been estab- lished on the site of the former about 1720, and the latter having been founded in 1749. The Vermont Claim. — The year 1791 was memorable for the peaceful settlement of the long-standing difficulty with the " Green Mountain Boys." Between 1760 and 1768 a number of emigrants had settled west of the Connecticut, under grants from Governor Wentworth of New Hampshire, EARLY EDUCATIONAL PROVISIONS. 347 and the lands thus occupied were known as " the New Hampshire Grants." In 1763, the governor of New York issued a proclamation claiming the territory in question by virtue of the grant made by Charles II. to the Duke of York and on an appeal to the king his claim was sustained. The settlers, however, in spite of all attempts to eject them, maintained possession ; and in Governor Tryon's time the quarrel became so serious that a reward was offered for tlie capture of Ethan Allen and other Green Mountain leaders. During the Revolution, the Vermonters twice applied to the Continental Congress to be admitted to the confederacy, but without success, owing to the opposition of New York. Though discouraged, they remained faithful to the cause of liberty, striking trenchant blows in its behalf at Ticon- deroga. Crown Point, and Bennington. At length, finding she could not enforce her claims, New York agreed to sur- render them for 130,000 ; and Vermont was allowed to take her place in the Union as an independent state. Educational Provisions. — In 1787, the Board of "Re- gents of the University," created three years before, was reorganized, and invested with power to incorporate colleges and academies, besides other privileges. In 1795 was laid the foundation of the Common - School system, to which New York owes so much of her prosperity. Acting on a recommendation in Governor Clinton's message, the legis- lature appropriated $50,000 annually for five years. The interest on this sum was to be apportioned among the sev- eral counties according to their population, and half as much as the amount received having been raised in addition by taxation in each county, the whole was to be expended for the support of Common Schools. In 1801 a lottery was authorized, for increasing the school-fund; and four years later 500,000 acres of public land were set apart for the same purpose. In 1805, also, the Public School Society of the city of New York was 348 HISTOEY OF NEW YORK. incorporated, with De Witt Clinton, son of General James Clinton and nephew of the governor, at its head. Already West Point had been selected by Congress as the site of a training-school for soldiers, and in 1812 liberal provision was made for the support of the military academy at that place. Jay. — In 1795, on Governor Clinton's declining to run for a seventh term, the federalists succeeded in electing John Jay governor. During Jay's administration, Albany was made the capital (1797). Party feeling at this time was exceedingly violent. The course of the federal government under the presidency of John Adams was by many vehe- mently denounced ; and in 1801 the opposition, now known as Republicans and shortly afterward as Democrats, again elected George Clinton governor. Burr. — The same year, Aaron Burr, a member of the New York City bar, who as General Schuyler's successor had served in the U. S. Senate from 1791 to 1797, became vice- president. Before the expiration of his term of office Burr ran for the governorship of New York, but was defeated ; and mortification at his evident loss of popularity, which he attributed mainly to the influence of Alexander Hamilton, led to the unfortunate duel that cost the latter his life. Burr avoided the storm of indignation that followed by withdrawing from the city, and in his place New York sup- plied the nation with another vice-president in the person of her tried and trusted George Clinton (1805). Clinton served in this office during Jefi'erson's second term and Madi- son's first, till his death in 1812. Morgan Lewis, who had been chief-justice of the state, succeeded Jay as governor in 1804. His seat on the bench was filled by James Kent, afterward chancellor of the state, whose " Commentaries on American Law " has become a legal classic. Daniel D. Tompkins was governor from 1807 till 1817, SECOND WAR WITH GREAT BRITAIN. 34:9 when he became vice-president. The first year of his ad- ministration was memorable for the appearance of Fulton's steamboat on the Hudson. At that time the ferry-boats on the adjacent waters were propelled by oars. But row-boats gave way to horse-boats, and finally, in 1814, by way of experiment, a steamboat was placed on the Fulton Ferry between New York and Brooklyn. Governor Tompkins vigorously supported the federal government in the second war with Great Britain (p. 213). Throughout the early part of the struggle, New York, by reason of its position on the frontier, was an important the- atre of operations. American armies started from different points within its limits for the invasion of British soil ; while the enemy, throwing themselves across Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence, and the Niagara, made descents on Oswe- go, Sackett's Harbor, Ogdensburg, Lewiston, Buffalo, and other places, and were prevented from overrunning the state only by the decisive defeat at Plattsburg (September 11, 1814). An attack on the metropolis being at one time threat- ened, its inhabitants pledged themselves to defend it to the last extremity. Fortifications were at once commenced, on which citizens of every grade labored with their own hands, while others by daily drills prepared themselves for efficient service. The whole island was soon put in a state of de- fence. Fortunately, before any attack was made, the Treaty of Ghent ended the war. Abolition of Slavery. — The question of abolishing slavery in the state had been agitated toward the close of the pre- ceding century, and provision had been made for the gradual emancipation of those born in servitude after the year 1799. In 1817 the legislature went still further, enacting that on the 4th of July, 1827, all slaves should be free and the insti- tution cease to exist in the state. Shortly after, De Witt Clinton, who had served efficiently as mayor of New York, 350 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. and was now leader of a division of the republican party, succeeded to the office of governor. The Erie Canal— De Witt Clinton's name is inseparably linked to the great enterprise which more than anything else has helped to advance the commercial interests of the Empire State. As far back as 1792, the importance of in- ternal improvements had been recognized by the incorpora- :?.-^c ' j^^y;^^^. ^^^ -^^'^^1?^^^ tion of companies for improving the navigation of the Mo- hawk, and opening communication by canals between that river and Lake Ontario, the Hudson, and Lake Champlain. Routes were surveyed ; Gouverneur Morris and others be- came interested in the project ; and, the original plan having been enlarged so as to make Lake Erie the western terminus, vigorous but unsuccessful efforts were made between 1800 and 1815 to induce both the state and the federal government to embark in the undertaking. In the last-named year, De Witt Clinton, long an advocate of the enterprise, gave it a new impetus by an exhaustive argument in its favor ; and, though many still opposed and derided " Clinton's big THE EEIE CANAL. 351 ditch," the legislature in 1817 authorized the commence- ment of the work. Ground was broken at Rome, and under the fosterino- care of Clinton and his fellow-commissioners the canal was completed in about eight years. The first boats started from Buffalo for New York, October 26, 1825, news of the fact being transmitted from one end of the line to the other in eighty minutes by the discharge of cannon stationed at intervals. The necessities of the increased trade on this great highway led to its subsequent enlargement ; it now has a surface breadth of seventy feet, and is navigable by boats of two hundred and forty tons' burden. The Cham- plain Canal, sixty-six miles long, was also begun in 1817, and was completed in 1822. Amendment of the Constitution. — Important changes were made in the state Constitution in 1821, by a conven- tion of delegates elected for the purpose, in conformity with a bill passed by the legislature. The amended Constitution provided that the governor and lieutenant-governor should hold office for two years. The governor was invested with a veto-power, and with the consent of the senate was to have the appointment of judges. The right of suffrage was extended to all white male citizens of the age of twenty-one, a property qualifica- tion of $250 being required in the case of colored citizens. Circuit courts and a court of chancery were established ; and the senate, supreme-court judges, and chancellor, were con- stituted a court for the correction of errors. Provision was also made for revising the Constitution ; amendments sub- mitted to the people by a two-third vote of the legislature and sanctioned by the popular vote, were to have full force as parts of that instrument. Anti-Masonry. — Except for two years (1823-5), during which he was superseded by Joseph C. Yates, De Witt Clin- ton continued at the head of the state government till his 352 HISTORY OF NEW TOEK. death in 1828. The only important event of his adminis- tration that remains to be mentioned, is the abduction of William Morgan, of Batavia, which materially affected the politics of the day. Morgan, himself a Freemason, was about to publish a book in which he promised to reveal the secrets of that fra- ternity. On the eve of its publication, having been arrested for a trifling debt at the suit of a Mason and lodged in jail, he was taken thence at night by a party of men (September 12, 1826), hurried off to Fort Niagara, and there mysteri- ously disappeared. Suspicion at once pointed to the Masons as the authors of the crime. Public meetings were held ; a committee of investigation was appointed ; and, though no positive evi- dence of the murder could be obtained, the conclusion was that Morgan had been drowned in Lake Ontario. Intense indignation was excited ; arrests were made, and several, found guilty of taking part in the abduction, were sentenced to imprisonment. Masonry was violently denounced, and a party was formed with the avowed purpose of excluding members of the order from positions of trust in the state. All other political issues were for the time lost sight of. The Anti-masons gained strength, and though their candi- date for governor was defeated by Martin Van Buren in 1828, and again in 1830 by Enos T. Throop, they secured a controlling influence in several of the western counties. The excitement spread to other states. In 1831 a na- tional convention was called, and the eloquent William Wirt, of Maryland, who had been attorney-general of the United States, was nominated by the Anti-masons for the presidency, in opposition to Jackson, who was running for a second term, and Clay, the whig candidate. Wirt received the electoral vote of Vermont, which state the Anti-masons controlled for two years. They were also strong in Penn- sylvania, which in 1835 elected their candidate as governor. TAN BUREN. THEOOP. — MAECY. 353 But in time new issues arose, and the Anti-masons became merged in other parties. Governor Van Buren, after a short incumbency at the beginning of the year 1829, resigned his office (March 12th) for the position of secretary of state in President Jackson's cabinet. Two important measures that he had recommended, were adopted by the legislature; viz., the establishment of a safety-fund banking system, and a change in the mode of choosing presidential electors. Originally they had been chosen by the legislature, afterward by the people voting by districts ; it was now enacted that they should be elected by general ticket. — The year 1830 was signalized by the construction of the first railroad in the state, the Mohawk and Hudson, connecting Albany and Schenectady. Throop. who as lieutenant-governor filled Van Buren's place after his resignation, was elected his successor by the democrats. On his recommendation, imprisonment for debt was abolished, except in cases of fraud. William L. Marcy, a prominent democrat who had rep- resented New York in the U. S. Senate, became governor in 354 HISTOEY OF NEW YOKK. 1833, and retained the office for six years. During his ad- ministration, tlie legislature authorized the construction of the Chenango, Black River, and Genesee Valley Canals (97, 47, and 125 miles long, respectively), and made provision for educating teachers for the Common Schools in certain academies, to the support of which the state contributed ; a loan of $3,000,000 was also voted, to aid in the construc- tion of the New York and Erie Railway. The Croton Aque- duct, designed to supply the city of New York with water from the Croton River, was begun in the summer of 1835 ; and on the 16th of December of that year occurred a great fire in the metropolis, which reduced about six hundred and fifty buildings to ashes and brought distress on many of the inhabitants. In 1837, the Canada frontier was the scene of exciting events. A rebellion against the provincial government hav- ing broken out, seven hundred New-Yorkers who sympa- thized with the insurgents hastened to their aid, and took possession of Navy Island in the Niagara River, maintain- ing communication with the American shore by the steam- boat Caroline. Toward the close of the year, a party of loyal Canadians crossed the Niagara, cut loose the Caroline, set her on fire, and let her drift over the falls with several of her crew on board. This violation of American soil, to- gether with the refusal of Governor Marcy to surrender one of the insurgent leaders who had taken refuge in the state, came near involving the country in war with Great Britain ; but, measures having been taken to preserve peace on the frontier, all difficulties were at last amicably settled. The whig party carried the state in 1838, electing Wil- liam H. Seward governor. Mr. Marcy was in 1845 invited by President Polk to a seat in his cabinet as head of the war department, in which capacity he ably managed affairs during the contest with Mexico; he afterward served as secretary of state under President Pierce. ANTI-EENT DIFFICULTIES. 355 Anti-rent Troubles. — Under Governors Seward, William C. Bouck, and Silas Wright, the state enjoyed unprece- dented prosperity. The principal questions of public in- terest were those connected with internal improvements, and the extension of the Common-School system commensu- rately with the needs of the people. In certain counties, however, particularly Rensselaer, Delaware, Columbia, Al- bany, and Schoharie, the Anti-rent controversy became a disturbing element. Many of the tenants on manors inherited from the old patroons objected to paying the rent which their leases called for, and united in forcibly resisting all legal processes. High-handed outrages on person and property were com- mitted by Anti-renters disguised as Indians, and even life was taken. These acts of violence were finally carried to such a length that in 1845 Governor Wright was obliged to declare martial law in Delaware County, and call out the military for the restoration of order. A number of the ringleaders were arrested, tried, convicted, and sent to the state-prison. Meanwhile, however, the Anti-renters had organized a political party, and secured representation in the legisla- ture. In 1846 they helped to elect John Young governor, and at his hands more than fifty of their number, imprisoned for longer or shorter terms, received pardon. The excite- ment, and the party which it had called into being, gradually died out; and since then the Anti-renters have confined themselves to contesting the claims of their landlords in the courts of law. Constitutional Changes. — In 1846 the Constitution was revised by a convention of delegates elected for the purpose, and as thus amended was ratified by an overwhelming ma- jority of the people. Anti-rent influence secured the abo- lition of feudal tenures in this instrument, and the restriction of leases of agricultural land to periods not exceeding twelve 356 HISTORY OF NEW TOEK. years. The people were invested with the right of electing judges. The state was empowered to contract debt to the extent of $1,000,000, for the purpose of meeting casual de- ficiencies, repelling invasion, or suppressing insurrection. The contraction of any other debt was prohibited, unless authorized by a law for some single specified object, and un- less provision was at the same time made for an annual tax sufficient to pay the interest on such debt as it should ac- crue, and the principal also within eighteen years. Corpo- rations were to be formed under general laws. Special charters for banking purposes were forbidden. It was made the duty of the legislature to require ample security for the redemption in specie of all notes put in circulation as money, and the stockholders of an institution issuing such notes were made individually responsible for its liabilities to the amount of their respective shares of stock. The legislature was also required, in organizing cities and incorporating vil- lages, so to limit their powers of taxing, assessing, borrow- ing money, and contracting debts, as to prevent abuse in any of these particulars. During the Mexican War (p. 248), New York was ably THE CIVIL WAK. 357 represented in the field by her gallant volunteers, by her Wool, her Worth, and other brave officers. When the Wil- mot proviso was introduced into Congress, prohibiting sla- very from such territory as might be acquired from Mexico, New York gave her voice in its favor ; and afterward, in 1849, resolutions were passed by the legislature against the exten- sion of slavery in territory then free. The Free-Soil party was at this time powerful in the state, Ex-president Van Buren having been its candidate for the presidency in 1848. A democratic majority made Horatio Seymour governor of New York during 1853 and the following year; and in 1855 the Native American party elected their candidates to the offices of secretary of state, comptroller, and attorney- general. With these exceptions, the whigs and their suc- cessors, the republicans (who date from 1854), held control of the state from 1847 till 1863. It was during this period that Millard Fillmore, of Buffalo, elected vice-president of the United States on the whig ticket, was raised to the presidency by the death of General Taylor (July 9, 1850). The Civil War broke out in Governor Morgan's second term. New York stood firm in her adherence to the Union during that struggle, furnishing the federal army 455,568 troops, or about 381,000 reduced to a three years' standard. Her discreet statesman. Ex-governor Seward, as the head of President Lincoln's cabinet, carried his country safely through dangers that at times threatened to overwhelm it. Nor was New York without distinguished representatives in the field ; she could j^oint, among others, to Kearney, Sickles, and Slocum — to General John A. Dix, already con- spicuous for faithful service in the U. S. Senate — and to General James S. Wadsworth, who, after winning honor at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, fell in the battle of the Wilderness (May 6, 1864). Since the Civil War, the department of state in the fed- eral government has been entrusted continuously to states- 358 HISTORY OF NEW YORK. men of New York, Ex-governor Hamilton Fish having served at the head of Grant's cabinet from 1869 to 1877, and Wil- liam M. Eyarts, of the New York bar, holding the same position under President Hayes. In recent presidential contests, the democrats have thrice selected their standard- bearers from the Empire State; Governor Seymour was Grant's competitor in 1868 — Horace Greeley, of the iVi Tl Tribune, in 1872 — while Governor Tilden ran against Hayes in the exciting struggle of 1876. Recent Provisions. — By recent amendments to the Con- stitution, the judiciary has been reorganized (1869) ; the property qualification of colored voters has been removed, and additional safeguards against official corruption have been adopted (1874) ; the term of the governor and lieu- tenant-governor has been extended from two to three years — the annual salary of the former being fixed at $10,000 and the use of a furnished residence, that of the latter at $5,000 (1874). A bill providing for the compulsory educa- cation of children between the ages of eight and fourteen, either at school or at home, for at least fourteen weeks in each year, went into effect in 1875. A magnificent state capitol is now in course of erection at Albany, which will probably be completed by 1879, at a cost of nearly $10,000,000. Distinguished Inventors and Authors.— Of eminent jurists, scientists, artists, and literary men, whom the Empire State claims as her own, the name is legion. She takes special pride in her Fulton, who first practically utilized steam in navigation, and her Morse, who has made electricity the ready messenger of man. The continents converse together through her Field's magnetic cable, and her Hoe has made the printing-press one of the crowning triumphs of human ingenuity. Washington Irving, the patriarch of American literature, belongs to her; as do James Fenimore Cooper, the poets William Cullen Bryant, Fitz-Greene Halleck, Jo- AUTHORS AND EDUCATOKS. 359 seph Rodman Drake, Nathaniel P. Willis, George P. Morris, Alice and Phoebe Gary, and a multitude of lesser lights. Finally, we must not forget those great educators — Charles Anthon, identified with the cause of classical learning — Eliphalet Nott, for sixty-two years president of Union Col- lege — and Mrs. Emma H. Willard, founder of the Troy Female Seminary. 360 HISTORY OF NEW YOEK. UNITED STATES SENATOES FROM NEW YORK, i^., federalist; A. i^., anti-federalist ; JR., republican; Z>,, democrat; W., whig. 17S9 1791 179(5 1798 ISOO 1802 1803 1804 1809 1813 1S15 1820 1821 Philip Schuyler, F. Eufus King, F. Aaron Burr, A. F. John Lawrance, F. John S. Hobart, F. Wilham North, F. James Watson, F. Gouverneur Morris, F. John Armstrong, li. or Z>. De Witt Clinton, R. or D. Theodoras Bailey, li. or D. John Armstrong, R or D. John Smith. R. or D. Samuel L. Mitchill, R. or D. Obadiah German, R. or I). Paifus King. F. Nathan Sanford, D. Eufus King, F. Martin Van Buren, D. 1825 Nathan Sanford, D. 1829 Charles E. Dudley, D. 1S31 William L. Marcy, D. 1833 Silas Wrisht, Jr., D. " Nathaniel P. Talimadge, D. 1844 Daniel 8. Dickinson, 1>. " Henry A. Foster, D. 1845 John A. Dix. D. 1849 William II. Seward, W. 1851 Hamilton Fish, IF. 1S57 Preston King, R. ISGl Ira Harris, R. 1863 Edwin D. Morgan, R. 1867 Eoscoe Conkhng, R. Present in- cumbent. 1869 Eeuben E. Teuton, R. 1S75 Francis Kernan, i>. Present inctim- hent. POPULATION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK AND ITS SEVEN LARGEST CITIES. YEARS. N. Y. State. N. Y. City. Brooklyn. Bufifalo. Albany. Rochester. Troy. Syracuse. 1790 340,120 33,131 1,546 8,506 1800 589,051 60.489 3.298 5,349 1810 950.049 96,373 4,402 1,508 10,762 3,895 1820 1,372.111 123,706 7,175 2,095 12.541 1,502 5,264 1,814 1830 1,918,608 202,589 15.292 8,653 24,238 9,207 11.405 6,929 1840 2,428,921 312,710 36,233 18,213 33.762 20,191 19,334 11,013 1850 3,097,394 515.547 96,850 42.261 50,762 36,403 28,785 22,271 1860 3,880,735 805.658 266,661 81.129 62,367 48,204 39,235 28,119 1870 4,382,759 942,292 396,099 117,714 69,422 62.386 46,465 43,051 1875 4,705,208 1,041,886 482,493 134,557 86,541 81,722 48,531 48,255 New York has 5,677 miles of railroad line ; 857 miles of canal; 11.571 public schools, with 1,067,200 scholars ; 222 incorporated academies, with 31,463 pupils ; 8 normal schools (besides those in N.Y. City), Avith 2,900 pupils ; a Normal College with over 1,500 students. Columbia College, N. Y., was founded in 1754; Union College, Schenectady, in 1795; Hamilton College, Clinton, in 1812; Hobart College, Geneva, in 1824; University of the City of N. Y., in 1831 ; Madison University, at Hamilton, University of Eochester, and St, John's College, Fordham, in 1846. Elmira Female College was incorporated in 1855 ; St. Lawrence University, Canton, in 1S56 ; Alfred University and Ingham University (for women), Leroy, in 1857; St. Stephen's College, Annandale, in 1860; Vassar College (for women), Poughkeepsie, and College of St. Francis Xavier, N. Y., in 1861; Manhattan College, in 1863 ; Cornell University, Ithaca, in 1865 ; College of the City of N. Y., in 1866 (organized as the Free Academy in 1848) ; Eutgers Female College (formerly Eutgers In- stitute), in 1867; Syracuse University, and Wells College, Aurora, in 1870. The Cooper Institute, founded by Peter Cooper in the city of New York, was opened in 1859. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Mi 014 114 828 H Conservation Resources Lig-Free® Type I Ph 8.5, Buffered LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 114 828 P