ar of grief and mortification.

CHAPTER XI.

The Colony of New York--New Jersey Given Away to Favorites--Charter of
Liberties and Franchises--The Dongan Charter--Beginnings of New York
City Government--King James Driven from Power--Leisler Leads a Popular
Movement--The Aristocratic Element Gains the Upper Hand--Jacob Leisler
and Milborne Executed--Struggle For Liberty Continues.

The colony of New York, so called after James, the Duke of York and
brother of King Charles II., came into English hands at a fortunate time,
and after a fortunate experience. Owing to Dutch, occupation during half
a century of intense agitation, civil war and revolution, New Netherland
had escaped being drawn into the maelstrom of English hates and
rivalries. Indeed the Dutch settlements, and New Amsterdam in particular,
had derived advantage from the troubles of the English colonies, and
among the immigrants who sought an asylum from Puritan intolerance within
New Netherland jurisdiction were many who proved valuable additions to
the population of the province, and who helped to build up its trade and
commerce, and to develop agriculture. The Duke of York, therefore,
entered upon possession of a colony with the accumulated prosperity of
about fifty years as the substantial foundation for future progress, and
with a population which, while composed of diverse nationalities,
retained the better features of them all. The settlers of New York, both
Dutch and English, were, as a rule, attentive to religious duties; but
they did not regard religion as the single aim of existence. They were
merchants and traders and farmers, liberal for their age in their views
of religious freedom, and devoting their best energies to building up
their worldly fortunes. New Amsterdam was in no sense Puritan--it was a
respectable, thriving, trading and bartering community, with flourishing
farms in the outskirts, and a commerce stunted by jealous restrictions,
but which gave promise of future development.[1]

[1] The Rev. John Miller, in 1695, speaks of "the wickedness and
irreligion of the inhabitants, which abounds in all parts of the
province, and appears in so many shapes, constituting so many sorts
of sin, that I can scarce tell which to begin withal." The reverend
gentleman was probably prejudiced.

The Duke of York at first made poor use of his new possessions. He
astonished Colonel Richard Nicolls, who had conquered t