rd would doubtless have been executed had
he not written an humble letter to Leisler saying that he had been in
the wrong and Leisler in the right. But he wrote to save his life, not
that he really believed himself to be in the wrong. He did save his
life, but he was kept in jail.

Leisler's enemies continued active. They had a powerful friend in
Francis Nicholson, who had reached England and had been received with
favor there. He hated Leisler, and denounced him as a traitor before
King William.

Leisler, after he had taken charge of the province, wrote to the King,
but his letter was written in imperfect English and was not understood.
Matters were in a bad state, and were daily becoming worse, when the
King appointed Henry Sloughter Governor of New York.

[Illustration: New York in 1700.]

CHAPTER X

THE SAD END of JACOB LEISLER

This Henry Sloughter was not a good choice. He was a worthless man, who
had travelled a great deal, and had spent other people's money whenever
he could get it. Now, when he could find no one in England to supply him
with money, he took the post of Governor of New York, and his only
thought was how much money he could wring from the people. The enemies
of Leisler rejoiced at his coming, for they knew that it meant the
downfall of Leisler.

Sloughter sailed for New York with a body of soldiers, but his ship was
tossed about by the sea, and carried far out of its course, so that the
ship of his assistant, Major Richard Ingoldsby, arrived first. But
Leisler refused to give up command until Sloughter came. This was three
months later, and during that time Ingoldsby and his soldiers did all
they could to harass Leisler, who held possession of the little fort,
and refused to give it up until he saw the King's order.

When Sloughter arrived, members of the party opposed to Leisler hurried
on board the vessel, and escorted him to the City Hall, where at
midnight he took the oath of office.

Within a few days Governor Sloughter and his friends met in the City
Hall, where the council of the new Governor was sworn in--a council
every member of which was an enemy of Leisler. Then Leisler was
arrested, with his son-in-law, Milborne, and both were condemned to
death as rebels. But the Governor was afraid of displeasing the King by
putting Leisler to death, for, after all, Leisler was the man who had
been the first to recognize the authority of King William in New York.
He refused to si