The assembly, at their first session, adopted a bill of rights, established courts of justice, repealed some of the most obnoxious of the Duke's laws, altered and amended others, and passed such new laws as they judged the circumstances of the colony required.

By the act of October 29th, 1683, a court was established in every town, for the trial of causes of debt and trespass under forty shillings, to be holden the first Wednesday of every month, by three persons cominissioned for that purpose, without a jury, unless demanded by one of the parties, and then to be granted at the expense of the party demanding it. A court, called a court of sessions, was established, to be held yearly in every county by the justices of the peace of the said county, or any three or more of them, for the trial of all causes, civil and criminal, arising in the county, by the verdict of twelve men; the court to continue only three days. A court of general jurisdiction was established, called a court of Oyer and Terminer and general gaol delivery, with power to remove all causes and judgments over five pounds from inferior courts; and to examine, correct, or reverse the same; to be holden by a judge and four justices of the peace, to be commissioned for that purpose in each respective county once in every year. Either by a law or an ordinance in 1684, two judges were appointed to hold this court.

This assembly had another session in October, 1684. At that session they abolished the court of assize, made further alterations in the Duke's laws, and enacted several new ones.

A new assembly was summoned in September, 1685, and met at New-York the ensuing October, and chose William Pinhorne their speaker. This assembly passed several acts, among which were the two following, to wit: An act, passed November 4th, 1685, for regulating the proceedings of monthly courts throughout the province, by which the jurisdiction of the court was extended to five pounds; and an act, passed November 7th, 1685, for removing the court of sessions of King's County from Gravesend to Flatbush.

There is no evidence that this assembly ever met again, or that any other was summoned, except one by Leisler during

his exercise of supreme power, until the arrival of a governor under William and Mary in 1691.

Charles II. died February 6th, 1685, and the Duke of York succeeded him by the title of James II.; and as he determined to have as little to do with parliaments as possible, so it is probable that he revoked the power which he had given to his governors to call assemblies, and determined that they should rule the colony by his instructions alone, without admitting the people to any participation in the public councils.

By the act of November 29th, 1683, the governor and council were constituted a court of chancery, with an appeal to the king. The governor was authorized to appoint a deputy and other officers.

On the 2d of November, 1683, an act was passed to divide the province into shires and counties; in which it is enacted as follows:

"QUEEN'S COUNTY, to conteyne the severall towns of Newtown, Jamaica, Flushing, Hempstead, and Oyster Bay; with the several out-farms, settlements, and plantacons adjacent.

"KING'S COUNTY, to conteyne the severall towns of Boshwyck, Bedford, Brucklyn, Fflatbush, Fflatlands, New Utreht, and Gravesend; with the severall settlements and plantacons adjacent.

"SUFFOLK COUNTY, to conteyne the severall towns of Huntington, Smithfield, Brookhaven, Southampton, Southold, Easthampton to Montauk Point, Shelter Island, the Island of Wight, Fisher's Island, and Plumb Island; with the several out-farms and plantacons adjacent."

Andross having been appointed governor of New England, New-York was added to his government; and an order of the king was read in council at New-York, July 28th, 1688, directing Colonel Dongan to deliver the seal of the province to Sir Edmund, who shortly after re-visited the province and assumed the government.

August 25th, he issued new commissions to the civil officers of King's and Queen's counties.

On his return to Boston, the affairs of New-York were conducted by Nicholson the lieutenant governor, and council.

It is supposed that Col. Dongan immediately retired to his farm as a private citizen, where he remained until the spring of 1691, or longer, before he left the country.

The news of the accession of William and Mary to the throne reached Boston in April, 1689; and the people immediately rose, seized the governor, whose tyranny had become intolerable, and imprisoned him, where they determined to detain him till they could hear from England.

The news of the proceedings in Boston prompted certain persons in New-York, whose zeal or ambition was too impatient of delay to await the changes which would necessarily have succceeded the revolution in England, to wrest the government out of the hands of Nicholson the lieutenant governor.

May 31st, Captain Jacob Leisler put himself at the head of the party, seized the fort and kept possession of it. June 3d, he was joined by the other captains of the militia, with their companies. They immediately issued a proclamation, stating that their intention in seizing the fort was to keep it for King William; and that they would surrender it to the governor who should be appointed by him. Nicholson immediately retired aboard a vessel, and returned to England. June 12th, Leisler and his friends wrote to the several towns on Long Island, inviting them to send two men from each county to meet the deputies of the other counties at New-York, on the 26th instant, to form a committee of safety; and also to send two men from each town to assist in guarding the fort.

It is supposed that King's and Queen's counties complied with the request, although there was a powerful opposition in Queen's county to the measure.

The several towns in Suffolk met by their deputies at Southampton, June 20th, where a majority of them refused to send deputies to New-York; and immediately opened a negotiation with Connecticut, and made another unsuccessful effort to put themselves under the jurisdiction of that colony, the laws and institutions of which were more congenial with their ideas of good government than those of any royal province.

Most or all of the other counties, it is supposed, sent their deputies to New-York.

The committee of safety, which met at New-York June 26th, 1689, gave Leisler the superintendance of things; and he managed the public affairs according to their advice till the ensuing fall.

In December, letters were received from England, directed to "Francis Nicholson, or in his absence to such as for the time being take care for preserving the peace and administering the laws in their Majesty's province of New-York in America;" and authorizing Nicholson "to take upon him the chief command, and to appoint, for his assistance, as many of the principal freeholders and inhabitants as he should think fit."

Leisler chose to consider these letters, in the absence of Nicholson, as addressed to himself, and immediately assumed the title and power of lieutenant governor. He selected a council, appointed public officers in the several counties, and commissioned them in his own name, and demanded an entire submission to his authority.

He summoned a general assembly in the spring of 1690, (probably to procure supplies for the protection of the frontiers ;) which met in New-York the 24th of April, and chose John Spratt their speaker. It is not known that any thing was done at this meeting.

They were soon prorogued to the 1st of September. No members attended from Suffolk, Albany, and Ulster; and one from New-York, and one from Queen's County, refused to serve; so that it could not have consisted of more than eight or nine members.

During this period the towns in Suffolk County had several meetings to consult about the course which it would be proper for them to pursue, without coming to any agreement. The summons to choose assembly-men was received March 15th, 1690, which they refused to obey.

The people of Huntington, in April, 1690, signified their willingness to recognize the authority of Leisler.

The people of Easthampton came to a resolution, the 3d of May, that they would not submit to Leisler, but would continue as they were. This town consented, however, September 9th,

1690, that certain monies which they had formerly raised for public use, and which had not been paid to the government, should be paid to Leisler, or to his order.

The county sent no members to the assembly, and does not seem to have been reconciled to Leisler's authority; but continued in a divided and neutral condition during his administration.

January 1st, 1690, Leisler issued a warrant to have Andrew Gibb, the clerk of Queen's County, brought before him, to answer for not delivering the papers belonging to the office to Mr. Denton, the new clerk, whom he had appointed.

February 15th, he issued orders to the sheriff, and to the civil and military officers of that county, to secure Col. Thomas Dongan, the late governor, in his own house, and to bring Col. Thomas Willett, Capt. Thomas Hicks, Daniel Whitehead, and Edward Antill, Esquires, before the council.

February 21st, he gave orders to have Col. Dongan, Stephen Van Cortland, Anthony Brockholst, and Matthew Plowman, Esquires, seized and brought before him.

August 9th, 1690, Leisler issued a proclamation, requiring the members of assembly to meet at New-York the first day of September ensuing, to which day they were prorogued.

August 11th, after reciting that Nathaniel Pierson, one of the deputies elected to the assembly for Queen's County, and Wilhelmus Beekman, one of the deputies from New-York, had refused to serve at the meeting in April, he ordered those counties respectively to choose others in their room, to meet with the deputies of the other counties at their ensuing session in September.

It seems that the opposition in Queens was not suppressed by the measures before taken for that purpose.

October 18th, 1690, Leisler ordered Major Milbourn "to take what force he could raise, to suppress the opposition in Queen's County."

October 26th, he suspended the court of oyer and terminer, about to sit in King's County, "until the counties on Long Island should be reduced to obedience."

October 30th, Leisler, after stating that a rebellion existed in Queen's County, issued orders to Samuel Staats and Capt.