1631.

The Swedes

In 1631, the Swedes erected a fort on the west side of Ďelaware, at a place near Wilmington, upon erect a fort the river, or creek, which ftill, from the name of at Chriftcen the fort, is called Christina, or Chrifteen, where &c. they had laid out a town, and made their firft fettlement.

On

"The eighth feat is Kildorpy, near the falls of Charles river, near two hundred miles up from the ocean; it hath clear fields to plant and fow; and near it are fweet, large meads of Clover, or Huney-fuckle, no where elfe in America, to be feen, unless transported from Europe; a fhip of one hundred and forty tons may come up to these falls; which is the best seat for health, and à trading house to be built on the rocks; and ten leagues higher are Lead-mines, in ftony hills."

"The ninth is called mount Ployden, the feat of the Raritan kings, on the north fide of this province, twenty miles from Sand-bay sea, and ninety from the ocean, next to Amara-bill, the retired Paradife of the children of the Ethiopian emperor, a wonder; for it is a square rock, two miles compass, one hundred and fifty feet high, a wall-like precipice, a ftrait entrance, easily made invinfible; where he keeps two hundred for his guard; and under it is a flat valley, all plain, to plant and fow."

"The Sufquebannock's new town is also a rare, healthy and rich place, with it a chrystal broad river; but fome falls below hinder navigation; and the Hook-bill, on the ocean, with its clear fields, near Hudson's river. on the fouth fide is much commended for health and fish, were it not fo northerly."

"The bounds are one thousand miles compafs, of this moft temperate rich province; for our south bound, is Marylands north bound;—and beginning at Aquats, or the southermoft, or firft cape of Delaware bay, in 38 degrees, 40 minutes, and fo runneth by, or through, or including Kent iíle, through Chesapeak bay, to Pifcataway, including the falls of Petowmack river, to the head, or northermoft branch of that river, being three hundred miles due weft; and thence northward to the head of Hudfon's river, fifty leagues; and fo down Hudfon's river, to the ocean, fixty leagues, and thence to the ocean and ifles across Delaware bay, to the fouth cape, fifty leagues; in all seven hundred and eighty miles. Then all Hudfon's river, ifles, Long-ifle, or Pamunke, and all ifles within ten leagues of the faid province being. And note, Long-ifland alone is twenty miles broad, and one hundred and eighty long; fo that alone is four hundred miles compafs. Now I have examined all former patents, fome being furrendered, and fome adjudged void, as gotton on falfe fuggeftions; as, that at the council table was, at master Gonges fuit of Mantachufets; and, as captain Clayborn, heretofore secretary, and now treafurer, of Virginia, in difpute with master Leonard Calvert, alledgeth; that of Maryland is likewife void, in part, as gotten on falfe fuggeftions; for, as captain Clayborn fheweth, the Maryland patent, in the first part, declareth the king's intention to be, to grant a land, thereafter defcibed, altogether dishabited and unplanted, though poffeffed with Indians. Now Kent-ifle was with many households of English by captain C. Clayborn before feated; and because his majesty, by his privy fignet, shortly after declared, it was not his intention to grant any lands before feated and habited: and for that it lyeth, by the Maryland printed card, clean northward, within Albion, and not in Maryland: and not only late feaman, but old Depo

fitious

1631, &c. Swedish improve

ments.

1632. The first

rife of the

colony of

On the island Tenecum, in the river Delaware, fixteen miles above this town, they built a fort, which they called New Gottemburgh; here their Governor, John Printz, had a fine fettlement, which was named Printz's Hall; and on the fame island the principal fettlers had their plantations. They had also other forts, as at Chester, Elfingburg near Salem, &c.

On the twentieth of June 1632, the young lord Baltimore, Cæcilius Calvert, obtained from king Charles, a grant of the unoccupied part of Virginia, Maryland. from Potowmack river northward, including lands both on the east and weft fide of Chesapeak; of which his father, Sir George Calvert, Secretary of ftate, had before received a promife, but died before the grant was made out; the king himself named it Maryland, in honor of his queen, Hen rietta Maria.

1632. Situation

land.

This province is situated between 37 and 40 deand bounds grees of north latitude, and according to the words of Mary- of the patent,-'Tis all that part of a Peninsula, lying between the ocean on the east, and the bay of Chesapeak, on the west, and divided from the other part, by a right line, drawn from the cape, called Watkins's point, fituated in the aforefaid bay, near the river Wighco, on the weft, unto the main ocean,

on

fitions, in Clayborn's hand, fhew it to be out of Maryland: and for that, Albions privy fignet is elder, and before Maryland patent; Clayborn, by force, entered and thrust out master Calvert out of Kent; next Maryland patent, coming to the ocean, faith, along by the ocean, upon Delaware bay; that is, the firft cape of the two, moft plain in view, and expreffed in all the late English and Dutch cards; and unto Delaware bay is not into the bay, nor farther than the cape, heading the bay, being in 38 degrees, 40 minutes, or, at moft, by feven obfervations I have feen, 38 degrees 50 minutes; fo as undoubtedly, that is the true intended, and ground bound and line, and further; for the words following are not words of grant, but words of declaration, that is, Which Delaware-bay lyeth in 40 degrees, where New-England ends; these are both untrue, and fo being declarative, as a falfe fuggeftion, is voids for no part of Delaware bay lyeth in 40 degrees; now if there were but the leaft doubt of thefe true bounds, I fhould wifh, by confent, or commiffion, and perambulation and boundary; not but there is land enough for all; and I hold Kent-ifle, having lately but twenty men in it, and the mill and fort pulled down, and in war with all the Indians near it, is not worth the keeping."

on the east; and between that bound, on the fouth, unto that part of Delaware bay, on the north, which lies under the fortieth degree of north latitude, &c. and all that tract of land, from the aforefaid bay of Delaware, in a right line, by the degree aforefaid, to the true meridian of the first fountain of the river Potowmack, and from thence tending towards the fouth, to the further bank of the aforefaid river, and following the west and fouth fide of it, to a certain place called Cinquack, fituated near the mouth of faid river, where it falls into the bay of Chesapeak, and from thence by a straight line, to the aforefaid cape, called Watkins's point, &c."

These are the bounds of Maryland, as expreffed in the patent;-concerning which afterwards there was fo long a difpute between the Proprietaries of that province, and of Pennfylvania; arifing principally from the different conftruction of the words, expreffing the boundary between them, made by each party, and of the intention of the faid grant: for, firft, the extent of land, contained in the fortieth degree of latitude which was to be the north boundary of Maryland, by charter, was afterwards claimed by both provinces, as lying entirely within each of their refpective grants; which made a very material difference.

1632.

On the

Pennsylva

Secondly, That part of the western fhore of Delaware, which appears to come within the bounds bounds beof Lord Baltimore's grant, had, long before this tween Matime, been poffeffed and inhabited by both Dutch ryland and and Swedes fucceffively; and was claimed by the nia, &c. former as a part of New Netherland, and was then actually in poffeffion of the latter; whereas it appears manifeft, both from the Maryland patent, and the best documents, that only fuch lands were intended to be granted to the Lord Baltimore, as were uncultivated, and uninhabited by any people except Indians.-But as this affair will be further mentioned in the following hiftory of Pennsylvania, I fhall only obferve, in

1654, &c.

Swedes on

this place, that, in confequence of this grant, the following year, the faid Lord Baltimore (being a Roman Catholic) carried feveral hundred persons to his new colony, moftly Papists, that there they might enjoy quietly the exercife of their religion.*

John Printz, continued Governor of the Swedes, Of the on Delaware, from his arrival till about the Delaware, year 1654, when he returned to Sweden, having Smith's hif- firft deputed his fon-in-law, John Papegoia, GoJersey. vernor in his ftead; who also, foretime after, returned to his native country, and left the government to John Rifingh.

tory of New

It was during the administration of Printz, in in 1651, that the Dutch built fort Cafimir, now called New Castle on Delaware,† against which he folemnly

*The year 1632 (fays Anderfon, before quoted) gave rise to the colony of Maryland, being a part of what was then reckoned Virginia. Sir George Calvert, fecretary of ftate, (he, or his fon, being afterwards created lord Baltimore) having, in the years 1621 and 1622, obtained of king James, a grant of part of Newfoundland, he, fome time after, removed thither, with his family; but he foon found it to be one of the worst countries, in the habitable world. Whereupon he returned back to England, and, he being a confcientious Roman catholic, (fays fir William Keith, in his hiftory of Virginia) was inclined to retire, with his family, to fome part of Virginia, there quietly to enjoy the free exercife of his religion; for which purpose he went thither himself;" (in, or about the year 1631) "but being difcouraged by the univerfal diflike, which he perceiving the people of Virginia had to the very name of a Papift, he left Virginia, and went further up the bay of Cheafpeak; and finding there a very large tract of land, commodioufly watered with many fine rivers, and not yet planted by any Chriftians, he returned fora England, and reprefented to the king, that the colony of Virginia had not, as yet, occupied any lands beyond the fouth bound of Potomack river; whereupon he obtained a promife of the king's grant, but dying before it was made out, his fon Caecilius took it out in his own name, on the twentieth of June, 1632; the king himself naming it Maryland, in honour of his queen, Henrietta Maria. It is held by the lords Baltimore of the crown, in free and common fociage, as of the kings honour of windfor, yielding and paying yearly for ever (if demanded) two Indian arrows;-by which charter this lord proprietary has as plenary, or fovereign, a power, as any in America; having the fole right to all the quit rents of land there in, which he shall grant out to his Land-holders; who, however, are empowered by the crown, to lay on all proper taxes, &c. in their general courts, composed of their representatives duly elected, and of the council: and the governor is always to be appointed by the faid lord proprietary, with the king's approbation, &c."

This place, after it came into the hands of the English, was fome times called Delaware town.

Smith's

New-York.

folemnly protested; and afterwards Rifingh took it from them by ftratagem. He likewife renewed the hiftory of league of friendship with both the English and Dutch in the neighbourhood; and alfo with the Indians, at a meeting held with their chiefs, for that purpose, at Printz's hall, on Tenecum Iland.

Swedes and
Indians.

The Indians had before complained, that the Swedes had introduced much evil among them; in confequence of which they alledged, that many of the Indians, fince their coming were dead. But the Swedes, at this treaty, by making them pre- Treaty be fents, and treating them kindly, removed their tween the murmurings, renewed and fixed a more ftrict and permanent friendship between them. Their chief, Noamen, expreffed," That as formerly they had been but one body and one heart, they should be henceforward as one head;-It was concluded with mutual engagements to affift, and stand by each other, in all future attempts, that should be made against either party. This league, or agreement, is faid to have been faithfully kept by the Indians.

Swedes on

But the Dutch, who, in the neighbouring fettle- The Dutch ment, had before been troublesome, to the Swedes, reduce the in the year 1655, fitted out fix or feven veffels, Delaware, from New Amfterdam, with fix or seven hundred &c. men; and, in the fummer of this year, under the command of their Governor, Peter Stuyvesant came up Delaware, and compelled the Swedes, who were in an unprepared condition to oppose them, to deliver up their forts, on terms. They destroyed New Gottemburg, with fuch houfes as were without the fort; plundering the inhabitants, and killing their cattle. The officers and principal inhabitants among the Swedes, were carried prifoners to New Amfterdam; and thence to Holland; but the common people, fubmitting to the Dutch, remained in the conntry. Thus the Dutch became poffeffed again of that part of the weft fide of Delaware bay, &c. fince called the Three lower counties on Delaware.