the quaker colonies-第21部分

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the　mother　country　and　the　absurdity　of　any　fear　on　the　part　of　the　colonists　for　their　privileges。　But　the　King　in　whom　they　had　so　much　confidence　was　George　III；　and　the　Parliament　which　they　thought　would　do　no　harm　was　the　same　one　which　a　few　months　afterwards　passed　the　Stamp　Act　which　brought　on　the　Revolution。　Franklin　and　Galloway　also　asserted　that　the　colonies　like　Massachusetts；　the　Jerseys；　and　the　Carolinas；　which　had　been　changed　to　royal　governments；　had　profited　by　the　change。　But　that　was　hardly　the　prevailing　opinion　in　those　colonies　themselves。　Royal　governors　could　be　as　petty　and　annoying　as　the　Penns　and　far　more　tyrannical。　Pennsylvania　had　always　defeated　any　attempts　at　despotism　on　the　part　of　the　Penn　family　and　had　built　up　a　splendid　body　of　liberal　laws　and　legislative　privileges。　But　governors　with　the　authority　and　power　of　the　British　Crown　behind　them　could　not　be　so　easily　resisted　as　the　deputy　governors　of　the　Penns。

The　Assembly；　however；　votedtwenty…seven　to　threewith　Franklin　and　Galloway。　In　the　general　election　of　the　autumn；　the　question　was　debated　anew　among　the　people　and；　though　Franklin　and　Galloway　were　defeated　for　seats　in　the　Assembly；　yet　the　popular　verdict　was　strongly　in　favor　of　a　change；　and　the　majority　in　the　Assembly　was　for　practical　purposes　unaltered。　They　voted　to　appeal　to　England　for　the　change；　and　appointed　Franklin　to　be　their　agent　before　the　Crown　and　Ministry。　He　sailed　again　for　England　and　soon　was　involved　in　the　opening　scenes　of　the　Revolution。　He　was　made　agent　for　all　the　colonies　and　he　spent　many　delightful　years　there　pursuing　his　studies　in　science；　dining　with　distinguished　men；　staying　at　country　seats；　and　learning　all　the　arts　of　diplomacy　for　which　he　afterwards　became　so　distinguished。

As　for　the　Assembly's　petition　for　a　change　to　royal　government；　Franklin　presented　it；　but　never　pressed　it。　He；　too；　was　finally　convinced　that　the　time　was　inopportune。　In　fact；　the　Assembly　itself　before　long　began　to　have　doubts　and　fears　and　sent　him　word　to　let　the　subject　drop；　and　amid　much　greater　events　it　was　soon　entirely　forgotten。



Chapter　VIII。　The　Beginnings　Of　New　Jersey

New　Jersey；　Scheyichbi；　as　the　Indians　called　it；　or　Nova　Caesarea；　as　it　was　called　in　the　Latin　of　its　proprietary　grant；　had　a　history　rather　different　from　that　of　other　English　colonies　in　America。　Geographically；　it　had　not　a　few　attractions。　It　was　a　good　sized　dominion　surrounded　on　all　sides　but　one　by　water；　almost　an　island　domain；　secluded　and　independent。　In　fact；　it　was　the　only　one　of　the　colonies　which　stood　naturally　separate　and　apart。　The　others　were　bounded　almost　entirely　by　artificial　or　imaginary　lines。

It　offered　an　opportunity；　one　might　have　supposed；　for　some　dissatisfied　religious　sect　of　the　seventeenth　century　to　secure　a　sanctuary　and　keep　off　all　intruders。　But　at　first　no　one　of　the　various　denominations　seems　to　have　fancied　it　or　chanced　upon　it。　The　Puritans　disembarked　upon　the　bleak　shores　of　New　England　well　suited　to　the　sternness　of　their　religion。　How　different　American　history　might　have　been　if　they　had　established　themselves　in　the　Jerseys！　Could　they；　under　those　milder　skies；　have　developed　witchcraft；　set　up　blue　laws；　and　indulged　in　the　killing　of　Quakers？　After　a　time　they　learned　about　the　Jerseys　and　cast　thrifty　eyes　upon　them。　Their　seafaring　habits　and　the　pursuit　of　whales　led　them　along　the　coast　and　into　Delaware　Bay。　The　Puritans　of　New　Haven　made　persistent　efforts　to　settle　the　southern　part　of　Jersey；　on　the　Delaware　near　Salem。　They　thought；　as　their　quaint　old　records　show；　that　if　they　could　once　start　a　branch　colony　in　Jersey　it　might　become　more　populous　and　powerful　than　the　New　Haven　settlement　and　in　that　case　they　intended　to　move　their　seat　of　government　to　the　new　colony。　But　their　shrewd　estimate　of　its　value　came　too　late。　The　Dutch　and　the　Swedes　occupied　the　Delaware　at　that　time　and　drove　them　out。　Puritans；　however；　entered　northern　Jersey　and；　while　they　were　not　numerous　enough　to　make　it　a　thoroughly　Puritan　community；　they　largely　tinged　its　thought　and　its　laws；　and　their　influence　still　survives。

The　difficulty　with　Jersey　was　that　its　seacoast　was　a　monotonous　line　of　breakers　with　dangerous　shoal　inlets；　few　harbors；　and　vast　mosquito　infested　salt　marshes　and　sandy　thickets。　In　the　interior　it　was　for　the　most　part　a　level；　heavily　forested；　sandy；　swampy　country　in　its　southern　portions；　and　rough　and　mountainous　in　the　northern　portions。　Even　the　entrance　by　Delaware　Bay　was　so　difficult　by　reason　of　its　shoals　that　it　was　the　last　part　of　the　coast　to　be　explored。　The　Delaware　region　and　Jersey　were　in　fact　a　sort　of　middle　ground　far　less　easy　of　access　by　the　sea　than　the　regions　to　the　north　in　New　England　and　to　the　south　in　Virginia。

There　were　only　two　places　easy　of　settlement　in　the　Jerseys。　One　was　the　open　region　of　meadows　and　marshes　by　Newark　Bay　near　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson　and　along　the　Hackensack　River；　whence　the　people　slowly　extended　themselves　to　the　seashore　at　Sandy　Hook　and　thence　southward　along　the　ocean　beach。　This　was　East　Jersey。　The　other　easily　occupied　region；　which　became　West　Jersey；　stretched　along　the　shore　of　the　lower　Delaware　from　the　modern　Trenton　to　Salem；　whence　the　settlers　gradually　worked　their　way　into　the　interior。　Between　these　two　divisions　lay　a　rough　wilderness　which　in　its　southern　portion　was　full　of　swamps；　thickets；　and　pine　barrens。　So　rugged　was　the　country　that　the　native　Indians　lived　for　the　most　part　only　in　the　two　open　regions　already　described。

The　natural　geographical；　geological；　and　even　social　division　of　New　Jersey　is　made　by　drawing　a　line　from　Trenton　to　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson　River。　North　of　that　line　the　successive　terraces　of　the　piedmont　and　mountainous　region　form　part　of　the　original　North　American　continent。　South　of　that　line　the　more　or　less　sandy　level　region　was　once　a　shoal　beneath　the　ocean；　afterwards　a　series　of　islands；　then　one　island　with　a　wide　sound　behind　it　passing　along　the　division　line　to　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson。　Southern　Jersey　was　in　short　an　island　with　a　sound　behind　it　very　much　like　the　present　Long　Island。　The　shoal　and　island　had　been　formed　in　the　far　distant　geologic　past　by　the　erosion　and　washings　from　the　lofty　Pennsylvania　mountains　now　worn　down　to　mere　stumps。

The　Delaware　River　flowed　into　this　sound　at　Trenton。　Gradually　the　Hudson　end　of　the　sound　filled　up　as　far　as　Trenton；　but　the　tide　from　the　ocean　still　runs　up　the　remains　of　the　Old　Sound　as　far　as　Trenton。　The　Delaware　should　still　be　properly　considered　as　ending　at　Trenton；　for　the　rest　of　its　course　to　the　ocean　is　still　part　of　Old　Pensauken　Sound；　as　it　is　called　by　geologists。

The　Jerseys　originated　as　a　colony　in　1664。　In　1675　West　Jersey　passed　into　the　control　of　the　Quakers。　In　1680　East　Jersey　came　partially　under　Quaker　influence。　In　August；　1664；　Charles　II　seized　New　York；　New　Jersey；　and　all　the　Dutch　possessions　in　America；　having　previously　in　March　granted　them　to　his　brother　the　Duke　of　York。　The　Duke　almost　immediately　gave　to　Lord　Berkeley　and　Sir　George　Car