On the accession of the Duke of York to the throne, the people of his province naturally expected, if not favour, at least the continuation of a representative government, which, however, was in part withdrawn; an arbitrary tax was imposed, and printing-presses forbidden. It was soon perceived that the intention of the king was to introduce the catholic religion into the province, and the officers appointed by him were of that faith; this added to the general dissatisfaction. The exiled governor, Dongan, was recalled by James II., shortly before his abdication, and Francis Nicholson, lieutenant-general of Andros, who was now governor of New England, succeeded him. Dread of the establishment of Popery added to general discontent, and the want of perfect good feeling between the Dutch and English inhabitants of the province caused any change to be welcomed with joy; accordingly the news of the deposition of James, and the accession of William and Mary, was received with enthusiasm, and the people rose in rebellion to the existing government. Jacob Leisler, a Dutch merchant and captain of militia, whose temperament, however, unfitted him for the command, was elected by the insurgents as their leader. Opposed to this faction were the large Dutch landholders, some English merchants, the friends of episcopacy, and the government party; nevertheless, at the head of several hundred men and a few companies of militia, and with the general populace in his favour, Leisler, at the commencement of June, took possession of the Fort of New York, in the name of William and Mary, to whom an address was sent, which in due course was received without disapprobation by King William. Dongan, who had not yet left the harbour, was joined by Nicholson, thus deprived of his authority, and the two hastened to England. The magistrates in the meantime, unable to resist this popular movement, after seeing Leisler appointed by a committee of safety as temporary governor of the province, retired to Albany on the Hudson, where, denying the authority of Leisler, they yet continued their administration in the name of William and Mary. Milborne, the son-in-law of Leisler, who had just arrived from England, was appointed by him secretary of the province, and sent to demand the surrender of the Fort of Albany, which of course was refused. About this time, a letter arriving from the king, addressed to “Francis Nicholson, or to such as, for the time being, take care for the preserving the peace and administering the law in New York,” together with a royal commission; Leisler, in Nicholson’s absence, regarded his own authority as now sanctioned by the monarch. In the meantime, France having espoused the cause of James, war was declared with England, and the little party at Albany, alarmed by the hostile inroads of the French and their Indian allies on the frontier settlements, and weakened by internal discord, yielded up the fort to Milborne.