he had
in his custody for Van Twiller, at Fort Hope and Nassau,
twenty-four to thirty goats, and that _three negroes bought
by the director_ in 1636, were since employed in his private
service.' Thus it will be seen that slavery was introduced
on the Delaware as early as 1636, though probably not in
this State, as the Dutch at that time had no settlement
here."[432]

And on the 15th of September, 1657, complaint was made that Peter
Alricks had "used the company's oxen and negroes;" thus showing that
there were quite a number of Negroes in the colony at the time
mentioned. In September, 1661, there was a meeting between Calvert,
D'Hinoyossa, Peter Alricks, and two Indian chiefs, to negotiate terms
of peace. At this meeting the Marylanders agreed to furnish the Dutch
annually three thousand hogsheads of tobacco, provided the Dutch would
"supply them with negroes and other commodities."[433] Negroes were
numerous, and an intercolonial traffic in slaves was established.

The first legislation on the slavery question in the colony of
Delaware was had in 1721. "_An Act for the trial of Negroes_" provided
that two justices and six freeholders should have full power to try
"negro and mulatto slaves" for heinous offences. In case slaves were
executed, the Assembly paid the owner two-thirds the value of such
slave. It forbade convocations of slaves, and made it a misdemeanor to
carry arms. During the same year an Act was passed punishing adultery
and fornication. In case of children of a white woman by a slave, the
county court bound them out until they were thirty-one years of age.
In 1739 the Legislature passed an Act for the better regulation of
servants and slaves, consisting of sixteen articles. It provided that
no indentured servant should be sold into another government without
the approval of at least one justice. Such servant could not be
assigned over except before a justice. If a person manumitted a slave,
good security was required: if he failed to do this, the manumission
was of no avail. If free Negroes did not care for their children, they
were liable to be bound out. In 1767 the Legislature passed another
Act restraining manumission. It recites:--

"SECTION 2. _And be it enacted by the honorable John Penn,
esq. with his Majesty's royal approbation, Lieutenant
Governor and Commander in Chief of the counties of
New-Castle, Kent and Sussex, upon Delaware, and