ton on the Sabbath, should pay a fine of ten shillings, or make such acknowledgment for the offence as the court would accept. In 1702, the town court of South Old fined a person 6s. 7 for a breach of the Sabbath. In 1711, the same court fined a person three shillings for profane swearing. Two cases of witchcraft occurred on Long-Island. In 1657, a Mrs. Garlicke, was brought before the town court of East Hampton, on suspicion of witchcraft, and a number of witnesses were examined in support of the charge. The Magistrates after hearing the testimony, co cluded to send her to Connecticut for further trial, the result of which is not known. In 1665, Ralph Hall and his wife were accused of witchcraft at Brookhaven, and the cause was tried before the court of assize at New-York, and terminated in their acquittal; an account of which is published in the Appendix to Yates' contination of Smith's history of New-York. Under the benign influence of the common law and of regulations made by themselves and enforced by Magistrates, annually chosen at their town meetings, the people of the several towns in the English territory seem to have enjoyed the usual benefits of good government, and to have prospered as well as those settlements that were under an organized govern ment. Of their Union with Connecticut. The several English towns on Long Island, that were settled under the authority of the Earl of Stirling, and under the English claim to the Island were exposed to interruption both by the Dutch and Indians. In order to secure the power and influence of the New-England colonies to protect them against the perils of their condition, they very early sought a connection with those colonies. The several towns joined Connecticut at different timesSouth Hampton in 1644-East Hampton, in 1657-Brookhaven in 1659-Huntington in 1660, and Oysterbay probably in 1662-South Old joined New-Haven in 1648, and with that colony was united with Connecticut in 1662. The towns of Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield, in 1639, formed an union for their mutual benefit, and framed a constitution better calculated to secure liberty and good government, perhaps than any that had ever before been formed. This com pact constituted the government and original jurisdiction of Connecticut.* Connecticut was at first, and for some years, without the authority of a patent, and in fact, had no legal jurisdiction beyond the bounds of those three towns and such as joined them. The several towns on the Island were received under her jurisdiction on their voluntary offer, and at their own solicitation. By the union they became members of the body politic of Connecticut, and were entitled to the benefits and liable to the duties of the other towns within her jurisdiction, and became, in common with them, entitled to the protection of the united colonies. The several towns became entitled to send deputies to the general Court at Hartford; and it appears that the towns of South Hampton and East Hampton, availed themselves of the privilege, and sent deputies to Hartford as South Old did to New-Haven.t The want of legal authority, prevented the exercise of any authoritative jurisdiction by Connecticut over the towns on Long-Island before she received the charter granted by Charles II. in 1662. It does not appear that she attempted to establish counties, organize courts, or levy taxes there before that period. The union seems to have resembled an alliance for mutual consultation and defence, rather than a consolidated govern ment. The charter of Connecticut granted by Charles II. was received in 1662. It was very similar in its provisions to the The supreme power was vested in a governor, deputy-governor, and a council or assistants to be annually chosen by all the freemen of the colony, with deputies to be chosen half yearly in each town by the freemen of the town. It was ordained that the general court or assembly composed of these officers should meet twice a year and should have power to make laws and repeal them-to impose and collect taxes-to admit freemen to dispose of the public lands-to establish courts-appoint public officers, and for good cause to displace them, or punish them, and to do all other acts for the good government of the commonwealth, except that of electing the governor, council, and assembly, which was to remain the exclusive province of the freemen. † Deputies or Assistants to the General Court from Long-Island: 1655, 1656, 1657, 1658, 1659, Southampton. do. LE 1660, 1661, 1662, 1663, do. do. Mr. Howell, Deputies from South Old to New-Haven1662, Barnabas Horton, John Purrier. Easthampton. 0 Mr. Mulford, do. constitution adopted in 1639, and was little more than a developement of them. The liberal provisions of the new charter made the several towns on Long-Island very desirous to perpetuate their connection with that colony. Long-Island was not mentioned in the charter, but the names of some of the magistrates of one or more of the towns were inserted among those who were to administer it. A clause in the new charter annexing the adjacent Islands to that colony, also furnished her with a pretext to claim LongIsland; and it was doubtless with the consent, if not at the instance, of the several towns on the Island that had joined her jurisdiction, that she set up a construction of her charter, which, if it could have been sustained, would had embraced all the English towns on the Island, and the whole Island after the conquest. After the reception of the royal charter, the general court of Connecticut claimed the legal jurisdiction over the English towns on Long-Island which had put themselves under her protection, and had become members of her association. These towns were permitted to send deputies to the general court, and were liable to the same duties as the other towns. Each town was entitled to send one deputy to the general assembly, but were wholly left at liberty to send one or not as they chose. The general court appointed such public officers in the several towns as were not permitted by the charter to be chosen by the people. April 6th, 1663, the town of Huntington chose three men whose names were to be sent to Hartford for the general court to elect two out of the number as magistrates for the town. The general court ordered a contribution to be levied on the towns on the Island, as well as on those on the main, towards the payment of the expence of the new charter, and it would seem that they were subject to taxes in the same manner as other towns within her jurisdiction. In 1664, the town of South Hampton appointed men to make the rate "both in respect to Hartford and this town.' May 12th, 1664, the general court proceeded to organize the courts on the Island on the plan of those of Connecticut. For this purpose they appointed a governor and three others to go to the Island to settle the English plantation there under the government of Connecticut, to establish quarter courts and other courts, for the administration of justice; provided their judgments should not extend to life, limb, or banishmentand directed capital cases to be tried at Fairfield or Hartford. These Commissioners came upon the Island in June 1664, organized courts, established rules for the collection of rates and other matters; but their arrangements were all frustrated before they could be carried into effect, by the conquest of the Dutch territories, and the annexation of Long-Island to the government of the Duke of York. Long-Island was not comprised in the grant of any colony. It had been granted by order of Charles I. to William Earl of Stirling, but had been relinquished to the crown, or to the Duke of York by his heirs, and left free to be made the subject of a new grant, or to be included in the patent to him. March 12th, 1664, Charles II. by letters patent, granted the country occupied by the Dutch, together with Long-Island, to his brother James, the Duke of York. A few months after the date of his patent, the Duke of York procured a squadron with some land forces, to be fitted out for the reduction of the territories comprised within his grant, under the cominand of Colonel Richard Nicolls, whom he appointed to assume the government of the country as deputy Governor under him, and with whom the King associated Colonel George Cartwright, Sir Robert Carr, and Samuel Maverick, Esq. as Commissioners, with power fix to the boundaries between the several colonies, to adjust all differences between them, and to settle the country in peace. The Commissioners landed at Boston on their way to NewYork, and requested that that colony would raise two hundred men and send them on to assist such troops as they had brought along with them in reducing the Dutch. The request of the Commissioners was readily asented to, but subsequent events rendered the aid unnecessary before it could be furnished. The Commissioners landed at Gravesend, on the west end of Long-Island, about the middle of August, 1664. They summoned the English on the Island to attend them at that place, and Governor Winthrop of Connecticut, met them there. Colonel Nicolls exhibited to the Governor, and such as were there assembled, the letters patent to the Duke of York, with his own commission. Colonel Nicolls demanded a surrender of the country, pro *The committee of ti e General Assembly established a court for the three towns of East-Hampton, South-Hampton, and South Old, to be holden four times a year, twice at South-Hampton, and once in each of the other towns, and appointed three Commissioners, one in each town, to hold the said court. mising life, liberty, and property to the inhabitants on their submission. Governor Winthrop wrote to the Dutch Governor, recommending a surrender on the terms offered, and after a few days had been spent in messages and letters between Colonel Nicolls and the Dutch Governor, the place was surrendered to the Commissioners the 27th of August old style. Governor Winthrop, after seeing the letters patent to the Duke of York, informed the English on Long-Island, that Connecticut had no longer any claim to the Island; that what they had done was for the welfare, peace and quiet settlement of his Majesty's subjects, as they were the nearest organized government to them under his Majesty; but now his Majesty's pleasure was fully signified by his letters patent, their jurisdiction ceased and became null. It seems however, that the colony of Connecticut was still desirous of obtaining Long-Island under her jurisdiction, and the several towns on the Island which had been connected with that colony, were as anxious that the connection should be continued. November 30, 1664, the Commissioners met to settle the boundary between Connecticut and the Duke of York, and after hearing the allegations of the deputies who attended from Long-Island, as well as those who attended from Conuecticut in favour of connecting Long-Island with that colony, they determined that the south boundary of Connecticut was the Sound. and that Long-Island was to be under the government of his Royal Highness, the Duke of York OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL STATE OF THE Of the Dutch Towns. The people of the Dutch towns professed the doctrines inculcated by the Synod, held at Dort in Holland, in 1618, and were under the ecclesiastical government of the classis of Amsterdam, until 1772, when the Dutch Church of this country, established an independant classis and synods on the model of the Church in Holland. Each town had its own consistory, but the whole constituted but one church. Their ministers were colleagues, preached in turn in all the churches, and were supported by a common contribution. The first house for public worship that was erected by the Dutch, was built in New-Amsterdam, 1642. December 17, 1654, the Governor who seems to have exercised supreme power in ecclesiastical, as well as civil and mi |