MINOR TOPICS

AN INTERESTING BI-CENTENNIAL

TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BOARD OF AMERICAN PROPRIETORS OF EAST NEW JERSEY

On Tuesday, the 25th of November, 1884, a notable assemblage filled the little antique City Hall at Perth Amboy, the occasion being one of peculiar importance. Gentlemen and ladies of prominence from various parts of the State of New Jersey and from New York were present, nearly all being descendants of the original proprietors who organized themselves into a Board in 1684. This Board opened an office in Perth Amboy as soon as it came into existence, and from that day to this annual meetings have been held in the ancient town. The two hundredth anniversary of the birth of this long-lived Board was celebrated with enthusiasm. The meeting opened at ten o'clock A.M., the present President of the Board, Charles E. Noble, of Morristown, New Jersey, presiding. An invocation was offered by Rev. Dr. Stearns, of Newark, New Jersey, and an eloquent and scholarly historical address delivered by the great lawyer, Cortlandt Parker, of Newark. The history of the Board was recited from its origin and personal descriptions of the men who composed it presented with pleasing effect.

At its close Surveyor-General Cook exhibited some old maps illustrating the boundary complications which agitated the people of New Jersey for more than a century. Professor Austin Scott then delivered an able and carefully studied address on the "Influence of the Proprietors in Founding the State." There were present Rev. Dr. Merrill E. Gates, President of Rutgers College; Rev. Dr. Demorest, Dean of the Rutgers Theological Seminary; State Senator Trist; Mr. and Mrs. Cortlandt Parker; Mayor Garretson, of Perth Amboy; William M. Force; Hon. James Bishop; Congressman John Kean, Jr.; Mrs. John Rutherfurd; Mrs. Martha J. Lamb; Amos Clark, Jr.; Hon. G. A. Halsey, Col. Charles Scranton, Archibald D. Russell, John A. Rutherfurd, Lewis M. Rutherfurd, J. Lawrence Kearny; Hon. Francis Tichenor, of Newark; John W. Hamersley, John Watts Russell, of New York City; Thomas T. Kinney, Silas Halsey, of Newark; Hon. Isaac Wildrick; John Jay Pierrepont, of Brooklyn, and many others.

An elegant collation was served by the ladies of Perth Amboy to at least two hundred guests at the close of the meeting. In a little brick building near the City Hall is a large quaint brick vault packed with the records of the Board, the accumulation of two centuries. This was visited by many of the guests and curiously inspected. It contained one deed dated September 10, 1680, signed by James, Duke of York. Two parchment deeds were exhibited dated 1681 and 1682. One of them bore the signature of William Penn, and was full five feet square, and each had large wax seals of the olden time.

CHARITY IN THE AMERICAN COLONIES.

In the early part of the last century there was a society in Scotland formed for the "Promotion of Christian Knowledge," or, as it was expressed in an old letter, for the "Gospelling of the Indians." Mr. Peter V. B. Livingston was the treasurer of the "committee of the correspondents" in this country to whom the money contributed in the colonies was sent, and by him distributed as ordered. The Indians lived in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, but some old letters in my possession refer particularly to the Jersey Indians who lived at Bethel. Then, as now, "What to do with the Indians," was a problem.

In a draft of a memorial to the Scotch society, the committee here beg them to "petition the Board of Trade and Lords of the Admiralty to allow the Jersey Indians, who need more land for their hunting grounds, to occupy some belonging to the Six Nations in the Province of New York, but they add with much naivete that the Six Nations have formerly in their wars conquered most of the other Indians, and hold them in contempt, and these being Delawares, they fear they will not easily be permitted to settle among them unless special treaties should be made with the other tribes." Rev. John Brainard was the missionary to the Jersey tribe, who was located at Bethel. He was a very devoted man, making repeated journeys to Connecticut to receive the collections taken for his support in the different parishes.

President Clap of Yale College was appointed to account for the collections in Connecticut; a few extracts from the letters of that date will give a glimpse of the work proposed and difficulties encountered.

"To Mr. V. B. Livingston Treas.r &c

Sir

The collections in Connecticut for the Indians were ordered by the Assembly: to be sent to Mr. President Clap at New-Haven, and by him to be remitted to you, and the Correspondents at a late Meeting by their Committee voted that the collections should be applied to the Setting up, and carrying on of a Spinning School among the People of my Charge, and have appointed me with two others, to manage that affair. This is therefore to desire that you will please to impower me by a Line from under your hand, to receive the sd. Collections of Mr. Clap and if you think proper any other Collections made for the same purpose, that fall in my Way and let me be accountable to you for the same

No more at present but sincere and humble Regards to you and your Spouse from Sir your very humble Servant

Eliz Town Oct. 2 1752

John Brainard"

The Spinning School was for the purpose of teaching the Indians the use of flax contributions of which were acknowledged by Mr. Brainard. The Parishes in Connecticut were liberal, as will appear from extracts from President Clap's letters.

N Haven, Aug. 7 th. 1752

"Sir

The Contribution for the Indians in the Jersies is likely to come out well. I have received about £úoo from less than a fifth part of the Congregations. I wait orders of the Correspondents for the Disposal of it. I want 100 lbs of White Lead very much, and therefore took the freedom to send to you 10 p of 8 by Sr. Kettletas to purchase and send it in case any Opportunity should offer before Capt. Bradley went. I understand that Capt. John Wilson in the Brig Content, is likely to sail from New York to New Haven next week.

Your Humble obliged Servant

Thomas Clap"

In September, 1752, he acknowledges the receipt of the white lead, and says: "Above 30 congregations have not yet sent any contributions; I have heard that there is in one contribution of near £80 yet to come."

A year later, September, 1753, he writes: "In Nov. 1752 I Received the Contributions for the Indians £3134 In Feb. 1753 I recd. £108 9. 10, since that, I have recd. £59 more, which in pursuance to your order I have with difficulty exchanged, 18 Rough pieces of eight, and sent them to you by Mr. Alexander. This is the whole of the contributions

Perhaps, however, the following letter from Mr. Pierpoint is the most interesting. With the complete mail and banking facilities of the present time, and a uniform currency in all the States, it is difficult to realize the annoyances and trouble consequent upon sending a few dollars to New York. Mr. Pierpoint's apprehension lest the account was not strictly accurate, is refreshing reading, and savors of the days when honesty, truthfulness, and integrity were no meaningless The letter is as follows:

terms.

Sir:

I had left in my hand by Mr. John Brainard a bond from his brother, who I understood took sme of ye money collected here for ye Indians, obliging himself to pay York money which he brought to me last June. But I not understanding how money past in New York, went with him to Mr. Cooke, who told me his way with broken money was, to ballance it with Dollars. So we put ye broken money into one scale, and as many Dollars as would equal it in the other scale, then counting ye Dollars found ye value of the broken money: Then I took the money with Ed Brainard's promise that if it should hereinafter appear that this methoed of reckoning was not right, he would rectify it when he came to see his brother, So I cancelled his Bond. Mr. John Brainard ordered me to remit the money to you when I received it, So I have attempted to do several times, but when ye persons came to see ye broken money, and to understand how I took it, they all refused to carry it, lest their honesty should be questioned, which I advised Mr. Brainard of, and desired Instructions from him, and a few days ago I received a letter from him to

send it to you, not being like to come here this fall, as he had proposed to do. But here I must inform you that at ye beginning of last Oct. Mr. Ebenz Poregarpon the Church of England Parson here, having a sudden occupation for some silver money urged me to let him have some of that money which lay by me and he would draw upon Mr. Paul Richmond, his correspondent and special good friend in New York to pay it to Mr. Brainard or his order, which he would immediately do; so I told him if he would take the broken money, I would presume to do it. Accordingly he took nine ounces of broken money which was almost all, also five Pistoles full weight, and fifteen Dollars

I took his note upon Demand, and now send enclosed his bill of exchange on Mr. Richmond, therefore, which I hope will be paid upon sight; but if not, desire you'd send it back immediately. I also send one half (Johannes ?) fifty six Dollars, 2 half dollars, 1 French piece about as big as half dollar, 3 pistoreens, 3 half ditto, I shilling piece, 2 dutch bitts? 4 small pieces of silver about 3-4th. of a pistoreen in weight as I should guess, which is every mite I received of Brainard; I also send herwith Mr. Poregarpon's letter of instructions to Paul Richmond. Brainard's Bond was for £40 York money and ye interest £4.80; you see whether what I have sent amounts to it or not, and I desire you'd Inform Jn Brainard that he might settle ye matter with his brother So with regards to you and Spouse, I rest yr very Humble Ser't

POLITICAL AMERICANISMS*

(Continued from page 566, vol. xii.).

[The first installment of these papers has called out so many comments and suggestions, that the author desires to bespeak further favors of the same description with a view to the eventual compilation of a glossary which shall be as full as possible. Information will be gratefully received regarding facts, phrases, and incidents of a political character, the date and circumstances of origin and first printed publication are especially desirable in the case of words and phrases. The author may be addressed Box 53, University Club, New York.]

* Copyright by Charles Ledyard Norton, 1885.