INTRODUCTION. -:0: The shores of New Jersey were first trod by the feet of civilized men in September, 1609. The visitors were from the ship of Hendrick Hudson, who on the Third day of that month had brought his vessel within the waters of the Raritan Bay, and allowed his men to hold intercourse with the Indians on the Monmouth shore. On the sixth, a boat's crew passed the Narrows, and rounding the east shore of Staten Island, entered the Kills, and discovered Newark Bay. Returning in the evening this boat encountered two canoes full of Raritan Indians, and one of the crew, John Colman, was slain by being shot with an arrow in the neck. Another ship was sent from Holland in 1610 with goods to commence a traffic with the Indians. On the 11th of October, 1614, the West India Company was formed, the country named New Netherland and a regular intercourse and trade commenced. As early as 1620 settlers had built houses and occupied lands on the shores of New Jersey, adjacent to New Amsterdam, for which titles were granted, and on which improvements were made. But on the 20th of March, 1664, Charles II. King of England, granted to his brother James, Duke of York, "all that tract of land adjacent to New England, bounded on the East by the main Sea and part of Hudson River, and hath upon the West, Delaware Bay or River, and extendeth Southward to the main Ocean as far as Cape May at the mouth of the Delaware River," ignoring the discovery, occupancy and improvements made for the space of Forty Three years by the Hollanders, and resting title solely on the voyages of Cabot in 1497-8, along the coast of Labrador to the parallel of Gibralter and Verazzano in 1506. Before the Duke had actually taken possession of any part of this territory, on the 23d and 24th of June, 1664, he "executed deeds of lease and release to Lord John Berkley and Sir George Carteret for the whole of that portion of it included within the bounds of the State of New Jersey," and called it Neo Caesaria, in compliment to Carteret, who had been Governor of the Island of Jersey, and defended it against the Cromwellians. On the same day, he commissioned his brother Philip Carteret as Governor, who at once began to make preparations to take possession of his Province. In August, of the same year he arrived in a ship at Elizabethtown-Point, having on board some thirty persons, part of them servants. He found there a settlement of four families, and named it Elizabeth in honor of the wife of his brother, Sir George. Between Berkley and Carteret, the Province was divided in East and West New Jersey. The line between the two parts was to run from "the East side of Little Egg Harbor, straight North through the country, to the utmost branch of the Delaware River." This line was run by George Keith, Surveyor General of East Jersey, in 1687. The line began at Little Egg Harbor and ran "North by West, 3 degrees and 4 minutes more Westerly,) as the compass then pointed, until it reached Dobie's Plantation on the South branch of Raritan River, (a short distance below the mouth of the Neshanic Creek) thence along the rear of that and other plantations, until it intersects that part of the North branch of Raritan River which descends from a fall of water commonly known by the Indian name of Allamitung." This line was retraversed by John Chapman in 1721, but found to vary two degrees and twenty-three minutes in thirty-four years. It was not satisfactory to the Western proprietors, and in 1743 it was again surveyed by John Lawrence. His line passed near Somerville touching the white oak tree on the East side of the house formerly owned by John M. Mann and intersecting the Delaware River near the mouth of Dingman's Creek, several miles below the point originally designated. The difference between the two lines was impor tant, since the angle or gore of land between them contained about 528.640 acres of valuable land. Sir George Carteret died in 1679, and by his Will, dated December 5, 1678, left his widow, Lady Elizabeth, Executrix and Guardian of his grand-son Sir Phillip's son, named also George, devising East Jersey to certain Trustees for the benefit of his creditors (see Whitehead 82) who sold it finally to Wm. Penn, with Eleven other Quaker associates for £3400. The deed of sale bears date Feb. 1 and 2, 1681 and 2. Philip Carteret, the Governor, resided permanently at Elizabeth where the Proprietaries had a house built for him having an orchard and ground attached to it He married a daughter of Richard Smith, of Long Island, a widew Lawrence, in April, 1681. Murrary in his notes on Elizabethtown, says on the authority of tradition, that he died and was buried there, His Will is dated Dec. 10, 1682, and he died soon after. He had from his brother a grant of 2000 acres of land, and owned by purchase several other tracts, but never realized any profits from any of them. In his Will he directed his body to be placed in Gov. Stuyvesant's vault in New York, if liberty could be obtained, otherwise a grave to be purchased in the Church of New York. Where his remains rest, is not positively known. On the 14th of March, 1682, the Duke of York confirmed the sale of the Province by giving a new grant, and Robert Barclay became Governor. He was a Quaker friend of Wm. Penu, He was superseded September of the same year by Thomas Rudyard. (See Whitehead, 88, 92.) Rudyard subsequently appointed Gawn Lawrie deputy, and again Lord Neil Campbell, who remained in the country less than a year. At the death of Barclay, Andrew Hamilton became Governor-in-Chief until June, 1689. He then vacated his authority and returned to Europe, but came back again in 1692, and resumed his position, but was superseded by Jeremiah Basse, The Provinces were united in 1702 and placed under the Government of Queen Anne. Carteret's government of the Province of East Jersey was |