As early as the year 1608, or 1609, Henry Hudson, an Englishman, under a commiffion from the king his mafter, discovered Long Island, New York, and the river which ftills bears his name, and afterwards fold the country, or rather his right, to the Dutch. Their writers, however, contend that Hudfon was fent out by the Eaft-India company in 1609, to discover a northwest paffage to China; and that having first discovered Delaware Bay, he came and penetrated Hudson's river as far as latitude 43°. It is faid however that there was a fale, and that the English objected to it, though for some time they neglected to oppose the Dutch fettlement of the country. 1610.] In 1610, Hudson failed again to this country, then called by the Dutch New Netherlands, and four years after, the States-General grant ed a patent to fundry merchants for an exclufive trade on the 1614 North river, who the fame year, (1614) built a fort on the weft fide near Albany. From this time we may date the settlement of NewYork, the hiftory of which will be annexed to a description of the State. Conception Bay, on the Island of Newfoundland, was fettled in the year 1610, by about forty planters under governor John Guy, to whom king James had given a patent of incorporation. Champlain, a Frenchman, had begun a fettlement at Quebec, 1608. St. Croix, Mount Manfel, and Port Royal were fettled about the same time. These settlements remained undisturbed till 1613, when the Virginians, hearing that the French had fettled within their limits, fent Capt. Argal to diflodge them. For this purpose he failed to Sagadahok, took their forts at Mount Manfel, St. Croix, and Port Royal, with their vessels, ordnance, cattle, and provifions, and carried them to James-Town in Virginia. Quebec was left in poffeffion of the French. 1614.] This year Capt. John Smith, with two ships and forty-five men and boys, made a voyage to North Virginia, to make experiments upon a gold and copper mine. His orders were, to fish and trade with the natives, if he fhould fail in his expectations with regard to the mine. To facilitate this business. he took with him Tantum, an Indian, perhaps one that Capt. Weymouth carried to England in 1605. In April he reached the Island Monahigan in latitue 43° 30'. Here Capt. Smith was directed to ftay and keep poffeffion, with ten men, for the purpose of making a trial of the whaling business; butbeing disappointed in this, he built seven boats, in which thirty-feven men made a very fuccefsful fishing voyage. In the mean time the captain himself, with eight men only, in a small boat, coafted from Penobscot to Sagadahok, Acocifco, Paffataquack, Tragabizanda, now called Cape Ann, thence to Acomak, where he fkirmished with fome Indians; thence to Cape Cod where he fet his Indian Tantum afhore and left him, and returned to Monahigan. In this voyage he found two French ships in the Bay of Massachusetts, who had come there fix weeks before, and during that time, had been trading very advantageously with the Indians. It was conjectured there were, at this time, three thoufand Indians upon the Maffachusetts Islands. In July, Capt. Smith embarked for England in one of the veffels, leaving the other under the command of Capt. Thomas Hunt to equip for a voyage to Spain. After Capt. Smith's departure, Hunt perfidiously allured twenty Indians (one of whom was Squanto, afterwarde so serviceable to the the English) to come on board his ship at Patuxit, and seven more at Naufit, and carried them to the Island of Malaga, where he fold them for twenty pounds each, to be flaves for life. This conduct, which fixes an indelible ftigna upon the character of Hunt, excited in the breafts of the Indians fuch an inveterate hatred of the English, as that, for many years after, all commercial intercourfe with them was rendered exceedingly dangerous. Čapt. Smith arrived at London the last of Auguft, where he drew a map of the country, and called it NEW-ENGLAND. From this time North Virginia affumed the name of New-England, and the name Virginia. was confined to the southern colony. Between the years 1614 and 1620, several attempts were made by the Plymouth company to fettle New England, but by various means they were all rendered ineffectual. During this time, however, an advantageous trade was carried on with the natives. 1617.] In the year 1617, Mr. Robinson and his congregation, influenced by several weighty reasons, meditated a removal to America. Vari ous difficulties intervened to prevent the fuccefs of their designs, 1620 until the year of 1620, when a part of Mr. Robinson's congregation came over and fettled at Plymouth. At this time commenced the fettlement of New-England. The particulars relating to the first emigrations to this northern part of America; the progrefs of fettlement, &c, will be given in the hiftory of New-England, to which the reader is referred. 1621 In order to preserve the chronological order in which the feveral colonies, now grown into independent ftates, were firft fettled, it will be neceffary that I should just mention, that the next year after the fettlement of Plymouth, Captain John Mason obtained of the Plymouth council a grant of a part of the present state of New-Hamp1623 fhire. Two years after, under the authority of this grant, a fmall colony fixed down near the mouth of Pifcataqua river. From this period we may date the settlement of NEW-HAMPSHIRE. 1627.] In 1627, a colony of Swedes and Fins came over and landed at Cape Henlopen; and afterwards purchased of the Indians the land from Cape Henlopen to the Falls of Delaware on both fides the river, which they called New Swedeland Stream. On this river they built several forts, and made fettlements. 1628.] On the 19th of March, 1628, the council for New-England fold to Sir Henry Rofwell, and five others, a large tract of land, lying round Maffachusetts Bay. The June following, Capt. John Endicot, with his wife and company, came over and fettled at Naumkeag, now called Salem. This was the firft English fettlement which was made in MASSACHUSETTS BAY. Plymouth, indeed, which is now included in the Commonwealth of Maffachusetts, was fettled eight years before, but at this time it was a feparate colony, under a diftinct government, and continued fo until the fécond charter of Maffachusetts was granted by William and Mary in 1691; by which Plymouth, the Province of Main and Sagadahok were annexed to Maffachusetts. June 13, 1633.] In the reign of Charles the First, Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic, applied for and obtained a grant of a tract of land upon upon Chefapeek Bay, about one hundred and forty miles long and one hundred and thirty broad. Soon after this, in confequence of the rigor of the laws of England against the Roman Catholics, Lord Baltimore, with a number of his perfecuted brethren, came over and fettled it, and in honour of queen Henrietta Maria, they called it MARYLAND. The first grant of Connecticut was made by Robert, Earl of Warwick, prefident of the council of Plymouth, to Lord Say and Seal, to 1631 Lord Brook and others, in the year 1631. In confequence of feveral smaller grants made afterwards by the patentees to particular perfons, Mr. Fenwick made a fettlement at the mouth of Con1635 necticut river, and called it Saybrook. Four years after a num ber of people from Massachusetts Bay came and began fettlements at Hartford, Wethersfield, and Windfor on Connecticut river. Thus commenced the English fettlement of CONNECTICUT. Rhode Island was firit fettled in confequence of religious perfecution. Mr. Roger Williams, who was among those who early came over to Massachusetts, not agreeing with fome of his brethren in fentiment, was very unjustifiably banished the colony, and went with twelve others, 1955 his adherents, and fettled at Providence in 1635. From this beginning arofe the colony, now ftate of RHODE-ISLAND. 1664.] On the 20th of March, 1664, Charles the Second granted to the Duke of York, what is now called NEW-JERSEY, then a part of a large tract of country by the name of New-Netherland. Some parts of New-Jersey were settled by the Dutch as early as about 1615. 1662.] In the year 1662, Charles the Second granted to Edward, Earl of Clarendon, and feven others, almoft the whole territory of the three South ern States, North and South Carolinas and Georgia. Two years 1664 after he granted a fecond charter, enlarging their boundaries. The proprietors, by virtue of authority vefted in them by their charter, engaged Mr. Locke to frame a fyftem of laws for the government of their intended colony. Notwithstanding thefe preparations, no 1669 effectual fettlement was made until the year 1669, (though one was attempted in 1667) when Governor Sayle came over with a colony, and fixed on a neck of land between Ashley and Cooper Rivers. Thus commenced the fettlement of CAROLINA, which then included the whole territory between the 29th and 36th degrees north latitude, together with the Bahama Islands, lying between latitude 22° and 27° north. 1681.] The Royal charter for Pennfylvania was granted to William 1682 The Penn on the 4th of March, 1681. The first colony came over the next year, and fettled under the proprietor, William Penn, who acted as Governor from October 1682 to August 1684. firft affembly in the province of Pennfylvania was held at Chefter, on the 4th of December, 1682. Thus William Penn, a Quaker, juftly celebrated as a great and good man, has the honour of laying the foundation of the prefent populous and very flourishing STATE of PENNSYLVANIA. The proprietory government in Carolina, was attended with fo many inconveniencies, and occafioned fuch violent diffentions among the settlers, that the Parliament of Great-Britain was induced to take the province under their immediate care. The proprietors (except Lord Granville) accepted 1729 accepted of £.22,500 fterling, from the crown for the property and jurifdiction. This agreement was ratified by act of Parliament in 1729. A clause in this act referved to Lord Granville his eighth fhare of the property and arrears of quit-rents, which continued legally vested in his family 'till the revolution in 1776. Lord Granville's fhare made a part of the prefent ftate of North Carolina. About the year 1729, the extenfive territory belonging to the proprietors, was divided into North and South Carolinas. They remained feparate royal governments until they became independent States. For the relief of poor indigent people of Great Britain and Ireland, and for the fecurity of Carolina, a project was formed for planting a colony between the rivers Savannah and Alatamaha. Accordingly applica tion being made to king George the Second, he iffued letters patent, 1732 bearing date June 9th, 1732, for legally carrying into execution the benevolent plan. In honour of the king, who greatly encouraged the plan, they called the new province GEORGIA. Twenty-one trustees were appointed to conduct the affairs relating to the fettlement of the province. The November following one hundred and fifteen perfons, one of whom was General Oglethorpe, embarked for Georgia, where they arrived, and landed at Yamacraw. In exploring the country, they found an elevated pleasant spot of ground on the bank of a navigable river, upon which they marked out a town, and from the Indian name of the river which paffed by it, called it Savannah. From this period we may date the fettlement of GEORGIA. 1754.] Kentucky was firft discovered by James Macbride, and fome others who were in company with him, in the year 1754. Col. 1769 Daniel Boon explored it in 1769. 1773.] Four years after Col. Boon and his family, with five other families who were joined by forty men from Powle's valley, began the fettlement of KENTUCKY, which is now one of the moft growing colonies, perhaps, in the world, and will doubtlefs be erected into an independent ftate, as foon as the new government shall have been properly organized. The tract of country called VERMONT, before the late war, was claimed both by New-York and New-Hampshire. When hoftilities commenced between Great-Britain and her Colonies, the inhabitants confidering themselves as in a state of nature, and not within any legal jurisdiction, affociated and formed for themselves a conftitution of civil government. Under this conftitution, they have ever fince continued to exercise all the powers of an independent State. Although Vermont has not been admitted into union with the other ftates, nor her jurifdiction acknowledged to be legal by the ftate of New-York, yet we may venture to date her political existence as a feparate government, from the year 1777, becaufe, fince that time, Vermont has, to all intents and purposes, been a fovereign and independent State. 1777 The extenfive tract of country lying northwest of the Ohio River within the limits of the United States, was erected into a feparate tempo1787 rary government by an Ordinance of Congrefs paffed the 13th of July, 1787. Thus I have given a fummary view of the firft difcoveries and progref five fettlement of North America in their chronological order.-The following recapitulation will comprehend the whole in one view. 1635 By Capt. John Endicot and company, of Roman Catholics. New-Jersey, S about 1614 By the Dutch. Plymouth, 1620 New-Hampshire, Delaware, Pennfylvania, Maffachusetts Bay, 1628 Maryland, ર Connecticut, Rhode-Island, 1635 By Mr. Fenwick, at Saybrook, near Granted to the Duke of York by By William Penn, with a colony of Erected into a feparate government, fettled before by the English. By General Oglethorpe. By Col. Daniel Boon. By emigrants from Connecticut and other parts of New-England. By the Ohio and other companies. The above dates are from the periods, when the first permanent settlements were made. NORTH AMERICA comprehends all that part of the western continent which lies north of the Ifthmus of Darien. This vaft extent of country is divided between Spain, Great-Britain, and the Thirteen United States. Spain claims all the land weft of the Miffiffippi, and Eaft and West Florida. According to the treaty of 1783, all the country north of the northern boundary of the United States, and east of the river St. Croix, belongs to Great Britain. The remaining part is the territory of the Thirteen United and Independent States. |