Class F/4 9i_ Book .C Z $_ SMITHSONIAN OEPO - . Etpptncott's Cabinet ISistoms of tbt $\tAta. PENNSYLVANIA. THE HISTORY OF PEMSYLVAMA €uM §Mtmvi to tlje $ mmi fc EDITED BY W. H. CARPENTER, AND T. S. ARTHUR. PHILADELPHIA: LIPPINCOTT, GRAMBO & CO. 1854. Fi Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by a\J3^ARIHUR and W^H.^ARPENTER, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. There are but few persons in this country who have not, at some time or other, felt the want of an accurate, well written, concise, yet clear and reliable history of their own or some other state. The want here indicated is now about being sup- plied; and, as the task of doing so is no light or superficial one, the publishers have given into the hands of the two gentlemen whose names appear in the title-page, the work of preparing a series of Cabi- net Histories, embracing a volume for each state in the Union. Of their ability to perform this well, we need not speak. They are no strangers in the literary world. What they undertake the public may rest assured will be performed thoroughly ; and that no sectarian, sectional, or party feelings will bias their judgment, or lead them to violate the integrity of history. The importance of a series of state histories like those now commenced, can scarcely be estimated. Being condensed as carefully as accuracy and interest of narrative will permit, the size and price of the volumes will bring them within the reach of every family in the country, thus making them home-read- ing books for old and young. Each individual will, 1* 5 6 publishers' preface. in consequence, become familiar, not only with the history of his own state, but with that of other states : — thus mutual interest will be re-awakened, and old bonds cemented in a firmer union. In this series of Cabinet Histories, the authors, while presenting a concise but accurate narrative of the domestic policy of each state, will give greater prominence to the personal history of the people. The dangers which continually hovered around the early colonists ; the stirring romance of a life passed fearlessly amid peril; the incidents of border war- fare; the adventures of hardy pioneers; the keen watchfulness, the subtle surprise, the ruthless attack, and prompt retaliation — all these having had an im- portant influence upon the formation of the American character, are to be freely recorded. While the progres- sive development of the citizens of each individual state from the rough forest-life of the earlier day to the polished condition of the present, will exhibit a pic- ture of national expansion as instructing as it is inte- resting. The size and style of the series will be uniform with the present volume. The authors, who have been for some time collecting and arranging materials, will furnish the succeeding volumes as rapidly as their careful preparation will warrant. PREFACE. The older histories of Pennsylvania are usually considered obnoxious to the double charge of prolixity and dulness ; grave faults, which it is believed will be found to have been avoided in the present volume. The quiet and subdued character of the first settlers, their pacific doc- trines, their conscientious adherence to treaty stipulations, and unvarying kindness to their Indian neighbours, leave their annals rarely marked by stories of war and bloodshed. But the history of Pennsylvania is not with- out its own peculiar interest. The mild, saga- cious, and statesmanlike character of Penn, its founder ; the disputes of the assembly with the various proprietary governors; and, above all, the solution of the grand moral problem of a 8 PREFACE. State founded without violence, and growing rapidly in wealth and population without exciting the jealousy of the aborigines, are lessons in morals and policy which may be profitably stu- died even at the present day. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. William Perm — His parentage — His birth— Circumstances of his youth— Politics and polemics— William Penn at Chig- well — His early religious impressions — He is entered at Oxford — Thomas Loe — Penn is expelled for nonconformity — Forbidden his father's house — Sent to make the tour of the Continent — Encounter in Paris — His reflections upon it — Reads theology with Amyrault — Returns a courtier — En- ters at Lincoln's Inn — He is sent to Ireland — He desires a military command — His father refuses to gratify him — Cor- respondence on the subject — Penn takes charge of his father's estates near Cork — Thomas Loe again — Penn joins the Society of Friends — Is imprisoned with others — Dis- charged by the President of Munster — Recalled to London — Difference'with his father — Imprisoned for heresy — First imprisonment in Newgate — Second imprisonment in New- gate — D'eath of Admiral Penn — Penn becomes a trustee for one of the proprietors of New Jersey — Review of his youth ^ Page 19 CHAPTER II. Penn's position at the court of Charles II.— His personal rela- tions with all shades of faith and politics — Algernon Sidney — The royal grant of a province to William Penn — Abstract of the charter — Its resemblance to that of Maryland — Na- ture of Penn's tenure — Character of his powers — Mistake in his terms of sale — His estimate of the grant — Philanthropic motives — Markham sent to America — King's proclamation, and Penn's letter to the inhabitants of his province — Lands offered for sale — Terms — Penn's conditions with purchasers 9 10 CONTENTS. — Commissioners sent over — Their instructions — Site of a town — Letter of Penn to the Indians — Penn refuses to sell a monpoly — Notice of the Society of Free Traders — Their city property — Society Hill Page 40 CHAPTER III. Preface to Penn's Frame of Government — Consultations about the Frame — Antagonistic influences — Deed of release from the Duke of York — The territories — Penn's embarkation — His fellow-passengers — Death of his mother — Farewell — Letter to Stephen Crisp — The passage — Sickness on board — Penn's arrival at New Castle — At Upland, now Chester — Reception — Preliminaries of government — Landing at Philadelphia — Intercourse with the Indians — Visit to New York — Treaty at Shaekamaxon — Indian respect for Penn — Tradition of his speech — Presumed terms of the treaty — Pennsbury 59 CHAPTER IV. First provincial legislature — Act of settlement — Act of union — Naturalization — Code of laws — Preamble and first sec- tions — Religious toleration — Abolishment of primogeniture — Privileges of citizens — Humanity of the code — Satisfac- tion of the people — The Maryland boundary — Points in dispute — Protracted controversy — Mason and Dixon's line — Boundary troubles — Meeting of the council and assembly at Philadelphia — Adjustment of the Frame of Government — Leading particulars — William Penn's opinion of his powers — Laws passed and laws not passed — Treason — Style of acts — Only witchcraft trial — Trial of a counterfeiter — Why was Anthony Weston whipped? 80 CHAPTER V. Penn's return to England — Appointment of provincial judges and other officers — Number and character of the inhabitants of the colony — Review of the Dutch and Swedish occupa- tion — Henry Hudson — Captain Cornelius Jacob May — Cap- CONTENTS. 11 tain De Vrees — The Sweedish settlers — Wiceaco — Captain Sven — The old Swedes church — The Dutch rule — Swedish intercourse with the natives — Minisink — The British acqui- sition in 1664 — Grant to the Duke of York of the former Dutch possessions — Extract of a letter from William Penn — Boundary dispute with Lord Baltimore — Indian treaties — Selection of Coaquannoek as the site for a town — Phila- delphia founded — Dwellings on the river bank — Annals of emigrants — Birth of John Key — Anecdotes of the early set- tlers — Experiences of Elizabeth Hard Page 94 CHAPTER VI. Aspect of things in England — Penn's difficult position — Death of Charles II., and accession of James — Penn's account of events — Proclamation of James in Philadelphia — Impeach- ment of Nicholas Moore — His refusal to plead — Other colo- nial difficulties — Bumours with England — Extracts from Penn's correspondence — His influence at court — Mon- mouth's insurrection — Venality and cruelty — Vindication of Penn — Threatened colonial difficulties — Dangers to the proprietary governments — Penn appoints a board of com- missioners — Their instructions — Appointment of a lieu- tenant-governor — Stormy administration — Penn's embar- rassments — Neglect by the colony of the proprietary's wishes — Revolution of 16S8 — Political suspicions against Penn — Persecuted by his enemies — He is compelled to abandon a visit to his colony — His forced retirement, and pecuniary losses 110 CHAPTER VII. News of the revolution received in Philadelphia — Action of the council thereon— Separation of the territories from the province — Two deputy-governors — George Keith — The ju- risdiction of the governor of New York extended over Pennsylvania — Administration of Governor Fletcher — He appoints Colonel Markham his deputy — "William Penn rein- stated — He continues Markham as deputy-governor — Death of Mrs. Penn — Of Thomas Lloyd — Markham's administra- tion — New act of settlement — Its democratic features — Charge of piracy and illicit trade— Arrival of William Penn in his colony — His welcome — Birth of " The American" — 12 CONTENTS. Perm meets the legislature — His activity in his government — New charter of privileges — Charter of Philadelphia — Differences about titles and quit-rents — Failure to obtain money for colonial defence — Rumours of intended changes in the charters — Return of Penn to England Page 127 CHAPTER VIII. Governor Hamilton — Refusal of the territories and the pro- vince to unite — Growing opposition to the proprietary interest — First Episcopal church in Pennsylvania — Go- vernor Evans — His character — False alarm of invasion — Consternation and serious consequences — Heroism and con- sistency of the Quakers — Results of this foolish farce — Fort at New Castle — Bold conduct of a Quaker shipowner — Recall of Evans — Events in England — Penn's position at the court of Queen Anne — His family, pecuniary, and other misfortunes — Governor Gookin appointed — Continued dif- ficulties with the assembly — Refusal to raise money for defence — The governor declines to pass the bills enacted — Incautious admission relative to the council — Logan pre- sents David Lloyd — The assembly acquit their speaker — . Logan arrested by the speaker's warrant — He is released by the governor — Letter of William Penn to the assembly — Election of a new house — Restoration of harmony — Close of Governor Gookin's administration 142 CHAPTER IX. Death of Queen Anne and accession of George I. — Decay of William Penn — His last hours — His religious and political character — Contemplated sale of the government to the crown — Management of affairs during Penn's illness — Penn's will and heirs — Protracted litigation — Governor Keith — His activity, sauvity, and tact — Meets the assem- blies of the territories and the province — His opening mes- sage to the latter — Good feeling on both sides — Liberal grant of money by the assembly — A chancery court esta- blished by proclamation — A militia created — Expulsion of Ashton from the council — Veto of naturalization law — Measures against convict passengers — Indian relations — CONTEXTS. 13 Prosperity of the colony — Difficulty between Keith and the council — The governor removes Logan from his offices — Logan visits England, and returns with instructions for his reinstatement — Keith vindicates his conduct, and refuses to comply — He transmits the correspondence to the assembly — Logan memorializes that body — The assembly vote the governor one thousand pounds — Keith superseded by Go- vernor Gordon — Benjamin Franklin and Keith Page 155 CHAPTER X. Answer of Hannan Penn to the assembly's remonstrance — Reflection upon Keith — Close of his life — Arrival of <■'"- vernor Gordon — Quiet temper of the assembly — Affirma- tions — Salt tax abolished — Agent in England appointed — His usefulness and efficiency — Franklin commences busi- ness in Philadelphia — New emission of paper — Franklin's efforts to promote it — Opposition of proprietaries — Franklin clerk of the house — Commencement of the Philadelphia Library — Indian treaty expenses — Land purchases — Lan- oaster county set off from Chester — Question of toleration of Roman Catholic worship — The court of chancery abo- lished — Arrival of Thomas and John Penn — An unlucky poet — Death of Governor <;>>rdon — Logan president — Boundary dispute with Maryland 171 CHAPTER XL Governor Thomas — His attempts to induce the assembly to make warlike preparations — Declaration of war between England and Spain — Instructions from England — The as- sembly frames a supply-bill, but adjourns without passing it — Enlistment of bond-servants — Disputes upon this snb- ject — Refusal of the house to vote money until the servants were discharged — Thomas Penn supports the governor — The merchants of Philadelphia and the council remonstrate with the assembly — The money bill passes, with condi- tions — The governor declines to avail himself of it — The house applies the money to the payment of masters who had lost their servants — Governor Thomas demands the equipment of armed vessels — The house refuses it — Thomas 2 14 CONTEXTS. Penn returns to England— Quarrel about the appointment of a port physician — Governor Thomas sweeps his oppo- nents from office — Election riot — Compromise between the governor an