William Penn acquired this interest in New Jersey before he obtained any in Pennsylvania, and several years before he visited America the first time. Sir George Carteret, owner of East Jersey, pledged himself to purchase lands from the Indians from time to time as required by the settlers; and Penn, the dominant owner of West Jersey, found the practice of acquiring title from the Indians an old and established custom, and followed it. In 1682 the legislature passed an act in which it was provided that no person should buy lands from the Indians without a written authorization of the Province, the grant to be to the proprietors who would reimburse the purchasers. In practice, however, the deeds always appear to have been made to the purchaser, who bought of the proprietors on presentation of the deeds to them. The actual title to the soil was derived from the King of England who claimed it by right of discovery and conquest. The Indian title was a possessory one, that of an occupant only, and was not of the fee, and “fee” means the absolute ownership. Taking deeds from the Indians, therefore, was a sort of buying one’s peace in the possession and occupancy of the soil in which the grantee had the fee. The Indians had no ownership in “severalty,” which means that they did not own lots or tracts whereon they dwelt themselves or which were in possession of their tenants, but the ownership of the land, such as it was, was common to the tribe. Perhaps you would be interested in knowing the contents of an Indian deed. I shall insert one in this paper. It appears by recital and covenant in it that the Indian grantors claimed that they were the only true, sole and proper owners of the land conveyed. The deed was made by certain Indian sachems to certain of the council of proprietors of West Jersey. It is recorded in Liber AAA of Deeds in the office of the secretary of state, at page 434, etc., and is taken from the record _verbatim et literatum_, as follows: