and all was persecution, except they tamely submitted to the will of his excellency.

These violent proceedings from the chair, threw the colony into a general fever; the elections for the assembly to be held in autumn, were voilent, and bitter, with party strife; hence Philip French, an outlaw, was returned member for the city of New-York; and William Nicoll chosen speaker. His excellency met the assembly thus organized with the following speech.

"GENTLEMEN,

"It was with extreme surprise that I found at my landing in this province, such confusion as must unavoidably have occasioned its ruin, if it had been suffered to go on a little longer. The many complaints that were brought to me, against the persons I found here in power, were sufficiently proved against them; and the miserable accounts I had of the condition of our frontiers, made me think it convenient to delay my meeting you in General Assembly, till I could inform myself, in some measure, of the condition of this province; that I might be able to offer to your consideration, some few of those things, which will be necessary to be done forthwith, for the defence of the country."

After recommending to their notice the fortifications of the city of New-York, the destitute situation of the army; a militia bill; public schools; the public debts, &c. his lordship thus concludes.

"Now gentlemen, I have no more to trouble you with, but to assure you in the name of the great Queen of England, my mistress, (Queen Ann,) that you may safely depend upon all the protection, that good and faithful subjects can desire and expect from a sovereign, whose greatest delight is the welfare of her people, under whose auspi

cious reign, we are sure to enjoy what no nation in the world can dare to claim, but the subjects of England; I mean the free enjoyment of the best religion in the world; the full possession of all lawful liberty, and the undisturbed enjoyment of our freeholds and properties, &c. I heartily rejoice to see that the choice of the people has fallen upon gentlemen whose constant fidelity to the crown, and unwearied application to the good of their country, are so universally known."

This speech was in unison with the feelings of this assembly, and they returned the following sentiment by way of echo.

"May it please your Lordship," &c.—

After the usual salutation they conclude, "That being deeply sensible of the misery, and calamity the country lay under upon the arrival of his lordship, they were not sufficiently able to express the satisfaction they had, both in their relief and in their deliverer."

The house next proceeded to grant eighteen hundred pounds for the support of an army, consisting only of one hundred and eighty men, and two thousand pounds more to defray the expenses of his lordship's voyage, &c.* The house voted to continue this revenue, to May 1709; passed a law to establish a grammar school, and brought forward a militia bill agreeable to his lordship's recommendation. No direct attack had yet been made upon the former administration, until the house passed a resolution to abolish the Court of Chancery; but his lordship opposed the

That County of Dutchess, which is now so populous and flourishing, was then so low as to raise but eighteen pounds of all this sum; a sum that appeared so extravagant to the queen, that she forbade in her letter, all such extravagant donations in future.

bill, as being derogatory to his own power, and it was quashed.

In this year, 1702, England declared war against Erance and Spain, and on the 4th of May, 1703, the legislature granted the sum of 1500l. to fortify the port of New-York, at the Narrows; but the zeal of his lordship for the public weal had so far abated, that he converted this money to his own private use. To correct this evil of having the receiver-general accountable to the governor, and not to the house, they passed a resolve, requesting and most pressingly urging his lordship, that some proper person might be commissioned to be treasurer, to receive and pay over all such monies as might be raised hereafter, to prevent all further misapplication. They also forwarded an address to the queen, complaining of the deficiency in the public funds, by reason of the want of a proper treasurer, who felt his dependance upon the assembly.

His excellency next demanded pay for one hundred and fifty men, at the session of the assembly in April, 1704, when it appeared that thirteen hundred pounds had been expended in supporting one hundred fuzileers about Albany; besides the four independent companies in the pay of the crown, and this too, when all was peace upon the frontiers. This fresh demand roused up the feelings of the house to a sense of their situation, and they passed a resolve," that they declined any further aids in money, until they were satisfied that no misapplication had been made." This led to the appointment of a committee, who upon due enquiry made, reported that a balance was due to the colony from the treasury of nearly one thousand pounds. This attack upon his lordship's honor, and interest too, excited his lordship's sensibilities, and he ordered the house to attend him; gave them a severe reprimand, and threatened them with the exercise of certain powers, (not named,) vested in him by the queen; but he more

particularly reproached them with audaciously attempting to maintain the "rights of the house," under the title of the "General Assembly," alluding to certain resolutions of the house. His lordship was pleased to add,—“ I know of no rights that you have as an assembly, but such as the queen is pleased to allow you." Adding, "It is true the queen has commanded me in her instructions, to permit the assembly from time to time, to view and examine the accounts of money, or value of money, by virtue of the laws made by them; but you can in no wise meddle with that money; but if you find any misapplication of any of that money, you ought to acquaint me with it, that I may take care to see those mistakes rectified, which I shall certainly do." The house were passive under these rebukes, and the session closed.

In autumn the assembly convened at the usual time and place, and the subject of the revenue again came into consideration. His excellency recommended a duty of ten per cent upon certain goods not imported from Europe; to which the house objected, and passed a resolve accordingly; which so excited the resentment of his lordship, that he refused to pay even the door keeper of the assembly, together with their printer and clerk. This raised the resentment of the house, and they passed a resolve to address his lordship, that an exact account of the revenue might be exhibited. To this his lordship replied by dissolving the assembly.

His lordship convened a new assembly in June, 1705, when he again called up their attention to the revenue, and the additional duty, both which he strongly recommended; both which they refused.

The house next proceeded to take up the subject of the clergy, agreeable to his lordship's recommendation; and they passed an act to support and enforce the act passed under the administration of Governor Fletcher, in 1693.)

About this time a French privateer entered the harbour of New-York, and gave great alarm to the citizens; this roused up the feelings of the people to a sense of their exposed situation, and called forth loud clamours against the governor for his former neglect.

In June 1706, his excellency again convened the assembly, and called up their attention to the necessity of fortifying the Narrows; but their sense of their true interest was lost in their warmth of feeling, at the remembrance of the money formerly appropriated for this use, and embezzled by the governor, together with the 1000l. appropriated to the defence of the frontiers, and not applied; they therefore resolved to raise 3000l. to be applied to fortify the narrows of the harbour of New-York; but took the precaution to place the money under the safeguard of a private treasurer, of their own appointment. His excellency felt the blow very severely, and declined to pass the act until he had received instructions from the queen upon the subject, which he announced to the house at their fall session, when he passed the act. Although his lordship passed the act of the last assembly as it stood, yet his feelings were not softened down upon the subject, and when the house neglected to regard his renewed recommendation of the revenue law, his lordship again dissolved the assembly. Such were the discordant feelings of the parties, that his lordship did not call another assembly until the year 1708.

Since the commencement of the administration, the subject of religion has come under more immediate consideration, on account of that severity with which his lordship felt disposed to treat this most interesting subject. Before we pursue the doings of this assembly, we will turn ́ aside from the regular chain of political events, and take a survey of the state of religion, and religious persecution, under the administration of his lordship.