4. After the conquest of New York by the Dutch, and the restoration
of the province to England, the duke of York received from the king
a second patent for the country between the Connecticut and the
Delaware. At the same time he confirmed his former grant of New Jersey
to Berkeley and Carteret. But soon afterwards Sir Edmund Andros was
appointed royal governor of the whole country. Carteret defended his
claim against Andros; but Berkeley sold his interest in New Jersey to
John Fenwick, to be held in trust for Edward Byllinge, who after a time
made an assignment of his property to Gawen Laurie, Nicholas Lucas, and
William Penn.
[Sidenote: =Division of New Jersey.=]
5. These men were Quakers. Here, then, was an opportunity to establish
an asylum for the persecuted Friends. Penn and his associates applied
to Sir George Carteret for a division of the province. It was
accordingly agreed to divide New Jersey so that Carteret's district
should be separated from that of the Quakers. The line of division was
drawn from the southern point of land on the east side of Little Egg
Harbor to a point on the Delaware in the latitude of forty-one degrees
and forty minutes. The territory lying east of this line remained to
Sir George as sole proprietor, and was named EAST JERSEY; while that
portion lying between the line and the Delaware was called WEST JERSEY,
and passed under the control of Penn.
[Illustration: Middle Colonies.]
6. Early in the following March the Quaker proprietors published a code
of laws called THE CONCESSIONS. The constitution rivaled the charter
of Connecticut in the liberality of its principles. The authors of the
instrument then addressed the Quakers of England, recommending the
province and inviting immigration. Before the end of the year a colony
of more than four hundred Friends found homes in West Jersey. An effort
was now made by the proprietors of East Jersey to secure a deed of
release from the duke of York. The petition was granted, and the whole
territory was freed from foreign authority.
7. In November of 1681 Jennings, the deputy-governor of West Jersey,
convened the first general assembly. The Quakers now met together to
make their own laws. The Concessions were reaffirmed. Men of all races
and religions were declared to be equal. Imprisonment for debt was
forbidden. The sale of ardent spirits to the Red men was prohibited.
Taxes should be voted by the representatives of the people. The lands
of the Indians should be acquired by purchase. Finally, a criminal
might be pardoned by the person against whom the offense was committed.
[Sidenote: =Quakers purchase East Jersey.=]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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