A succinct account shall now be given of what was done in forming the settlements on either side of the Delaware, and down in the peninsula, including the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia, so as to give an idea of the population in those regions with respect to religion, without formal quotations, and reference may be had to Holmes's Annals, under the respective dates, for the correctness of this summary statement.

In the year 1655 the Dutch felt very sensibly the blow given them in the year 1651, just mentioned, and, without being able to redress their grievances themselves, they applied to Holland, their mother country, for assistance. An armed force, of six or seven hundred men and seven ships of war, was put under their Governor, Stuyvesant, who sailed up the Delaware, and compelled the Swedes to surrender their forts on articles of capitulation. After their houses and property had been chiefly destroyed, their officers and principal inhabitants were sent home to Gottenburg.、

The Dutch now became masters of the territory which had been held by the Swedes. Thirty of the Swedes took the oath of fidelity to the States General and remained in the country, and were allowed the enjoyment of their own religion.

The Rev. Dr. Collin, an aged and highly respected Minister of a Swedish church near Philadelphia, in 1823 gave the following answer to questions which were put to him:

"The Swedes, on their first arrival, proceeded up the west of Delaware near Wilmington, and built a fort on a small river that falls into the Delaware, naming both the fort and river after their reigning Queen, Christina, which name the river still retains. The Hollanders established themselves on the North river, (now called the Hudson,) and claimed all the territory on the Delaware, and beyond it, though they had only a small and scattered settlement on the eastern shore, but none on the western shore of that river. They protested against the Swedes, and finally conquered the population, which as yet was very weak, in 1665, by a very superior force. Sweden, then engaged in war with six Powers, could not relieve it, but did not make a cession."

The Hollanders in this expedition appear not to have interfered with the New England settlement directly, as they had no military forts, and had never been engaged in war with the Dutch. So they were left in the undisturbed enjoyment of what possessions they had.

In the year 1658, three years after the Dutch had subdued this settle. ment, Stuyvesant, Governor of New Netherlands, gave orders to purchase of the Indians the lands around Cape Henlopen, in order to raise a fortification and extend settlements; although the New Haven company, as far back as 1640, had purchased the same on both sides of the bay and river,

and had built trading-houses and commenced settlements upon this very territory.

In 1659, a serious dispute arose between the Dutch settlements, which were just forming around Cape Henlopen, upon the bay of Delaware, and Lord Baltimore, proprietary of Maryland, about the right of territory. Lord Baltimore claimed all lands lying between the Potomac and Delaware bay and river. The Dutch, who had seated themselves on the Delaware bay within his Lordship's province, were commanded to be gone. But Col. Uric, the agent for Maryland, was authorized to inform them that, if they should wish to remain where they were, and were willing to live peaceably and come under his Lordship's government, they should find good and easy conditions—such as were granted to all other settlers under that wise and liberal charter. The province of Maryland the next year, within all its bounds, from the Potomac to the Delaware, included but about twelve thousand inhabitants of every description.

In 1662, by order of the Governor of Maryland, the Dutch who had settled around Cape Henlopen were ordered off, and the territory immediately occupied by other settlers.

In 1663, a ship arrived from Holland with planters and implements of husbandry, to settle on the Delaware, but they were obliged either to depart or submit to be governed by the authority of Maryland.

In 1664, the New Netherlands, or Dutch settlements in New York, were, by an armed force, taken from Holland and brought under British government. The Duke of York was made proprietary of the province by his brother, Charles II. The Swede and Dutch settlers upon the river and bay of Delaware, who had never before professed allegiance or acknowledged subjection to the British government, in connexion with the English settlers in the same territory, all now acknowledged subjection to Maryland, and thus came under British authority.*

In 1677, Burlington, east of Delaware, was settled by a colony of Quakers chiefly.

In 1681, a charter was granted to William Penn for all the territory which lay between the river and bay of Delaware and Lord Baltimore's province of Maryland. But the bounds of the territories heretofore granted being very loosely laid, both the Duke of York and Lord Baltimore claimed the settlements which had been made on the west side of the river Delaware

* The English inhabitants of Maryland, in the year 1665, amounted to 16,000. This rapid progress in population is ascribed to the liberal policy of Lord Baltimore from the beginning; for, at the first settlement of Maryland, liberty was given, by law, to all denominations of Christians to settle in that province.

and its mouth, which were called the three lower counties. This territory was now granted to William Penn, and was relinquished by the other claimants, and was called the Territories of Pennsylvania. This is the tract of country now forming the State of Delaware. William Penn published a very liberal frame of government, allowing full liberty of conscience to all, without respect to sect, and offering very liberal terms to settlers; which caused a great influx of colonists to Pennsylvania, as had been the case in Maryland before from the same liberal policy.

Smith, in his History of New Jersey, says, in 1684, “The people in East Jersey, being mostly from New England, do most incline that way. Newark appears to have been the only town in that province which had a settled preacher who followed no other employment." By this is understood, "who was supported by the people." If there were other preachers, they had to make the means of support in some other way.

In 1696, a settlement had before this day been made by New Englanders on Ashly river, in Carolina. These, this year, received a great accession to their strength from Massachusetts. A church was organized at Dorchester, which, with their Minister, Mr. Joseph Lord, emigrated to join their countrymen upon Ashly river; and in February, 1696, the Lord's Supper was administered for the first time in this colony, as Mr. L. was the first Minister of the Gospel who settled in these bounds. This is the origination of the settlement, called Dorchester to this day, about eighteen miles from Charleston.

This same year, the Swedes upon the Delaware sent an humble petition to Charles XII, King of Sweden, making known their destitute situation from the want of Ministers and the means of Grace. The King, therefore, sent them over a supply of Ministers and religious books.

In 1700, the Swedes and Dutch, settled on the Delaware, in Pennsylvania, had each of them some Minister of their own settled among them; but the English had none until this year, when the Rev. Mr. Evans, an Episcopal Minister, was sent over to them by Compton, Bishop of London, who settled in Philadelphia, and commenced worship there in that form. This same year the Episcopal Church of England was established in Maryland. The number of Ministers in New England at this time was one hundred and twenty.*

* Let it be recollected that up to this time (i. e. 1700) there is neither written nor traditionary evidence that any dissenting Minister was settled south of New Netherlands, or New York, except one in Newark, New Jersey, Mr. Pierson; one in Philadelphia, Mr. Andrews; and one in Accomack, Virginia, Mr. Makemie. There were itinerants, or missionaries, who occasionally visited and labored in East and West Jersey, and in Maryland, and the settlements on the bay and river of Delaware. These Missionaries

In 1701, the Society for propagating the Gospel in foreign parts was established in England by Episcopalians. It will be seen hereafter, that what led to this, probably, was the associating together of some Dissenters in and about London, to send Missionaries to the American Colonies.

In 1702, the Episcopal church was established in New Jersey by Lord Cornbury, in compliance with instructions from Queen Anne.

In 1703,the Ministers and Elders of the French Protestant church were allowed to build themselves a more commodious house of worship in New York.

It will be seen presently for what purpose this hasty sketch of the progress of those settlements, and of the kind of people forming them, is given. We are just arriving at the period when Presbyterianism was first introduced into America. We shall soon see who were the principal agents in bringing this about, and what kind of materials they had to work upon. Of the seven Ministers who formed at first the Mother Presbytery, four of ́ them labored and settled upon the Delaware, and all their congregations lay upon that river between Philadelphia and Cape Henlopen ; the remain-ing three were located on the eastern shore of Maryland, and Accomack county in Virginia, adjoining the eastern shore of Maryland. It has been seen how destitute this region of country had before been of Ministers and the ordinances of the Gospel. We may readily suppose, beforehand, from whence Ministers would be sought by a population composed of Swedes and Dutch, and New Englanders and Marylanders. The two first, using a language of their own, and connected with the church of the mother country, were supplied from Sweden and Holland. The New England part of the population, which was no doubt the most numerous upon the Delaware river, would of course look to be supplied from New England. Whence Maryland and Virginia got supplied remains now to be told.

Doctor F. L. Hawks, in his Narrative of the Rise and Progress of the Episcopal Church in Maryland, vol. 2, pages 34, 35, makes these remarks, after giving an account of a law which passed the Legislature in 1646, respecting religious freedom, viz: "There doubtless were Roman Catholics: in the Legislature to share the honor of this enactment, but our authority [i. e. Leah and Rachel, a tract written in 1656] informs us that divers others had removed into the colony, as every possible encouragement had been given to such removals by the Lord proprietor; and because there were some few Papists that first inhabited there themselves, and others being

were Puritans from New England. This was only four or five years before the first Presbytery was formed. We shall hear more of these travelling Puritan Missionaries hereafter.

of different judgments, an act was passed, that all professing in Jesus Christ should have equal justice, privileges, and benefits in that province, and that none, on penalty mentioned, should give the terms of Roundhead,’ &c.; that those reproaching any with opprobrious names of religious distinction should forfeit ten shillings to the person injured,'" &c. Page 36, Doctor Hawks says: "In confirmation of this, it should be added, that the language of this enactment furnishes us with some evidence of the mixed character of the population, from the enumeration of the terms of personal reproach which were made punishable; among which mention is made of Heretic, Schismatic, Idolater, Puritan, Independent Presbyterian, [we have seen that Makemie had been laboring in the province,] Papish Priest, Jesuit, Jesuited Papist, Lutheran, Calvinist, Anabaptist, Brownist, Antinomian, Barrowist, Roundhead, and Separatist." "It is to be supposed, therefore, that there were some belonging to most of the classes above named." "Maryland needed colonists, and still continued to find them among the Independents of Virginia, who, assured of protection under this statute, followed the example of some of their brethren, and emigrated in considerable numbers to the sister province."*

Again, pages 76, 77: "A writer in the British Empire in America says, vol. 1, 333, When Sir Lionel Copley came as Governor of the Province in 1694, there were scarcely any Protestant Ministers in it. Now and then an itinerant Minister came over, of very loose morals and scandalous behavior, so that, with such men's ill examples, &c. religion was in a manner turned out of doors." Upon the Governor's arrival, he found but three elergymen, that is, Episcopal:] these three had to contend with double their number of Romish Priests, and a sort of wandering pretenders to preaching that came from New England and other places, which deluded not only the Protestant Dissenters from our church, but many of the churchmen themselves, by their extemporary prayers and preachments, for which they were admitted by the people and got money of them."-See Archives of Fulham.

We shall now have to go back some years, and describe the state of things in and about London, from whence the first Presbyterian Ministers came to this part of America, and see how they came to be sent over.

During the wars which were carried on in England between Charles I and the Parliament, it was a long time before it was known which side would prevail; success was obtained first on one side, and then on the other. About the time the Assembly of Divines were called at Westminster, the cause of the Parliament was at a low ebb. They petitioned the

See also Chalmers's Annals, page 219.