and a large company was formed of the first people in Sweden, under whose auspices the enterprize was commenced.*

In 1630, under the direction of Peterson de Vries, the Dutch extended their settlements up the Delaware, on the Western side, as far as Bompt-Hook, the place now known by the name Bombay-Hook, which they called Swandale. The eastern cape of the bay they called Cape-May, after Cornelius Jacobs May, an early Dutch American navigator. The Bay was named Nieü Port May, and Godyns Bay, from Samuel Godyn, an eminent merchant of Amsterdam, who was greatly interested in the first settlement of the New Netherlands, and is frequently mentioned by P. de Vries in his account of the country. In 1631, the Swedes built a fort on Manquas ereek, and called it after their queen, Christiana: here they made their first regular settlement, which has been continued to the present time, and by the same name. They finally fixed their head quarters at Fort Gottemburgh, on the Island of Tinnicum, about twelve miles below the present City of Philadelphia.t

A church of wood was erected at Tinnicum, and consecrated September 4, 1646. The Swedes at that time had several small settlements higher up the river, and a few forts, viz. at Korsholin on Passajung; another on Manajung, (Schuylkill,) one at Chinsessing, (Kingsess.) On the Jersey side they built fort Elsinburgh, and settled various places between that and Cape May. The country generally, was called New Sweden: the river New Swedeland stream; and by these names they described the

Holm's description of New Sweden. Stockholm 1702. Near the Lazaretto.-The remains of the inhabitants are occasionally discovered there at this day..

country in the works which they published respecting it in Sweden. Governors were regularly appointed in Sweden. John Printz was their first Governor, and until 1654.

The Dutch built a fort at Hoerkill, on the west side of the Capes, in 1630, but appear to have given the preference to New York, as a place of residence, owing to the greater facilities it afforded for the purposes of commerce. They however, omitted no opportunity to assert their right to the country on the South River, as appears by a letter of Governor Kieft, from New Amsterdam, to P. Minuitts, Governor of New Sweden, in 1638 in which he asserts, "that the whole south river of New Netherlands, had been in the Dutch possession many years, above and below, beset with forts, and sealed with their blood."* And in 1642, the colonists from Maryland, having settled on Schuylkill, Keift fitted out two sloops to drive them away; a measure which the Swedes were either unwilling to undertake, or unable to accomplish. The mother countries, however, appear to have deemed it most prudent to permit the colonists to settle their own disputes; for in the treaty of peace between the Swedes and Dutch, in 1640, held at Stockholm, no notice was taken of American affairs.

In 1651, the Dutch erected a trading house on the spot where the town of New Castle is now situated. Printz, the Swedish governor, on Tinnicum, contented himself with formally protesting against the incroachment: but not accompanying his paper by more weighty considerations, he was disregarded. Risingh, his successor in the government, came before the fortress, fired a salute, and landed thirty men, who were entertained by the commandant as

* Smith's History of New York.

friends: but having discovered the weakness of the garrison, he seized upon it, and compelled some of the people to swear allegiance to his queen*. This conquest, however, was of short duration; for in the year 1655, the Dutch West India Company determining to recover their possessions, applied to the city of Amsterdam for assistance, and sent governor Stuyvezant with six or seven vessels, and seven hundred men, to the Delaware, where he arrived on the ninth of September. Having anchored his fleet, and landed the troops, a demand was made of the fort. The commander Suen Scutz, was a soldier by profession, and had lost a leg in the Dutch service. But though probably not deficient in courage, nor indisposed to defend his post, yet perceiving his forces so inferior to that of his enemy, as to render resistance of no avail, he prefered an honourable capitulation to the useless waste of human life. He therefore surrendered on the 16th September. Four fourteen pound cannon, five swivells, and some small arms, composed the list of offensive weapons found in the fort. Risingh commanded at Christiana, which also surrendered on the 25th of the same month. Finally, fort Gottemburgh, on Tinnicum, was delivered up, and razed: all the houses outside of the fort destroyed; and to prevent further attempts on the part of the Swedes, to regain possession, the officers and principal persons were shipped to New Amsterdam, and thence to Europe. Thus the Dutch became masters of all the country on the west side of the Delaware, which was for a time governed by the deputies of the Company's Director General at New Amsterdam, from whom the titles of many tracts of land may be traced to this day.

In 1664 Charles the Second of England gave a large tract of land including all the country known

Holm's description of New Sweden.

by the name of New Netherlands to his brother James, Duke of York, under whose direction an expedition consisting of four ships and 300 men, commanded by Colonel Nicholls, was sent against the colony. After receiving possession of the fort at New Amsterdam, from Stuyvezant, he dispatched Sir Robert Carr with the ships to the Delaware, who experienced no opposition from the settlers, and on the first of October took possession of New-Amstel (now New Castle) after articles of capitulation, of the most liberal nature had been signed; Nicholls was appointed governor, and acted as such until the year 1688, when he was succeeded by Carr. In 1672 war having taken place between England and the Dutch, the latter sent a few ships against New-York. The commander Manning, through treachery surrendered the fort without resistance: the people on Delaware again changed masters, and sent deputies to New Amsterdam declaring their submission, but in the space of a few months in consequence of a treaty of peace between England and the States General, they were again restored to the British, and Captains Cantwell and Tom deputed by the government of New-York, to take possession of the country on the Delaware. A well known creek in Delabears the name of the first, and a river in NewJersey perpetuates that of the last.

ware,

the

Peace was thus restored to the harassed emigrants, who continued to extend their settlements up river, and to cultivate the friendship of the natives.

The father of William Penn was an admiral in the service of England, and was second in command under James Duke of York in 1665, in the engagement with, and victory over the Dutch fleet commanded by Van Opdam. He had also served in several distinguished offices at home, and had lent a considerable sum of money to the crown. At the time of his death, there were also arrearages to a large amount due to him, for pay. William Penn himself had in

common with the religious persuasion of which he was a member, suffered considerable persecution; and perceiving an opportunity of obtaining some remuneration for his father's debts, and an assylum for himself and oppressed friends by a grant of part of the New World, petitioned King Charles the Second in June 1680 for a tract of land lying North of the patent previously granted to Lord Baltimore, bounded by the Delaware on the East. This request was accordingly granted, and letters patent for the desired tract passed the great Seal on the fourth of March

1681.

The considerations stated, were "the commendable desire of William Penn, to enlarge the British Empire, and promote useful commodities; to reduce the savage natives by just and gentle manners to the love of civil society and christian religion," together with "a regard to the memory and merits of his late father."

A brief account of the country was immediately published, and lands offered for sale on the low terms of forty shillings per hundred acres, and one shilling per annum for ever. Adventurers numerous, and many of them wealthy and respectable, soon offered, with whom, articles of agreement were entered into and published under the title of "conditions or concessions" chiefly respecting rules of settlement, a just and friendly conduct towards the natives, with some injunctions as to the preservation of internal order, and keeping the peace, agreeably to the customs, usages and laws of England.

In May 1681 Penn detached Markham, his relation with a small emigration in order to take possession of the country and to prepare it for a more numerous Colony.*

In April 1682 was published "the first frame of government of the province, consisting of twenty

*Chalmer's annals, p. 640.