ANDROS APPOINTED GOVERNOR.

205 till the grant of Charles II. to his brother, Duke of York and Albany, of lands from the Connecticut river to the Delaware Bay, made them apprehensive of being united to some other colony, with a charter less favourable to liberty. The new proprietary of this territory despatched a fleet to reduce the Dutch in New Netherlands, and take possession of their patented lands, which embraced the whole of New Haven and a large part of Connecticut. On hearing of the arbitrary disposition of the commissioners appointed to this work, the people of New Haven thought it expedient to unite with Connecticut in endeavouring to secure the privileges granted by its charter; and thus the two colonies were permanently united. In 1684, the eastern line of New York was fixed by commissioners from the two provincial governments, to run nearly in the course it pursues at the present day. Thus was the colony preserved from the dismemberment of the richest section of its territory; and a question that had long occasioned contention was amicably settled.

On the 6th of July, 1686, the assembly was convened by the governor in consequence of news of a writ of quo warranto issued against the company and governor the preceding year. An agent was appointed to desire of the king that the people might be secured in their property and privileges in case the colony were divided. Soon after the commissioners were made the ruling body, and Mr. Dudley appointed their president. Massachusetts had already been deprived of her charter; Rhode Island had submitted to the king's wishes; but Connecticut was resolved neither voluntarily to surrender her charter, nor yet appear to defend it. Some of their friends in England urged the colonial government to comply with the royal requisition, and Dudley advised the same. But the latter was too unwilling to injure the colonies to answer the purposes of James, and Sir Edmund Andros was appointed to supersede him. Andros acted as governor immediately on his arrival at Boston, which was on the 19th of December, 1686. He soon after addressed several letters to the authorities in Connecticut, urging the surrender of the charter; but

206

THE CHARTER SECRETED.

these were unavailing. The assembly held another meeting in October, 1687, and about the last of the month, Andros marched into Hartford, with more than sixty regular troops, "demanded the charter, and declared the government under it to be dissolved. The assembly were extremely reluctant and slow with respect to any resolve to surrender the charter, or any motion to bring it forth. The tradition is, that Governor Treat strongly represented the great expense and hardships of the colonists in planting the country; the blood and treasure which they had expended in defending it, both against the savages and foreigners; to what hardships and dangers he himself had been exposed for that purpose; and that it was like giving up his life, now to surrender the patent and privileges, so dearly bought, and so long enjoyed. The important affair was debated and kept in suspense until the evening; when the charter was brought and laid upon the table where the assembly were sitting. By this time, great numbers of people were assembled, and among them men sufficiently bold to undertake whatever might be necessary or expedient. The lights were instantly extinguished, and one Captain Wadsworth, of Hartford, quietly possessing himself of the charter, carried it off, and secreted it in a large hollow tree fronting the house of the Honourable Samuel Wyllys, then one of the magistrates of the colony. The people appeared all peaceable and orderly. The candles were officiously lighted; but the patent was gone, and no discovery could be made of it, or of the person who conveyed it away. ."* Though Sir Edmund failed in his attempt to obtain the charter, he assumed the government of the colony, which he administered with great severity for nearly two years, when, on the accession of William and Mary, Andros was deposed, and the former government re-established.

"But a short time elapsed, before the colonists were again called on to defend their privileges from what they deemed an unjust encroachment. Colonel Fletcher, Governor of New York, had been vested with plenary powers to command the

* Trumbull's History of Connecticut, p. 371, 372.

SPIRIT OF CAPTAIN WADSWORTH.

207 militia of Connecticut, and insisted on the exercise of that command. The legislature of the colony, deeming that authority to be expressly given to the colony by charter, would not submit to his requisition; but desirous of maintaining a good understanding with Governor Fletcher, endeavoured to make terms with him, until the king's pleasure should be further known. All negotiations were, however, unsuccessful; and, on the 26th of October, he came to Hartford, while the assembly was sitting, and, in the king's name, demanded submission; but the refusal was resolutely persisted in. After the requisition had been repeatedly made, with plausible explanations and serious menaces, Fletcher ordered his commission and instructions to be read in audience of the trainbands of Hartford, which had assembled upon his order. Captain Wadsworth, the senior officer, who was exercising the soldiers, instantly called out, "Beat the drums!" which, in a moment, overwhelmed every voice. Fletcher commanded silence. No sooner was a second attempt made to read, than Wadsworth vociferated, "Drum, drum, I say!" The drummers instantly beat up again, with the greatest possible spirit. "Silence, silence!" exclaimed the governor. At the first moment of a pause, Wadsworth called out, earnestly, "Drum, drum, I say!" and turning to his excellency, said, "If I am interrupted again, I will make the sun shine through you in a moment!" Colonel Fletcher declined putting Wadsworth to the test, and abandoning the contest, returned with his suite to New York.

It has been observed, that the history of the American colonies has been decidedly undervalued and neglected in England; this must have been the case even with the best educated classes of society; or surely, after such specimens of determined independence of spirit as the history of this colony and of Massachusetts exhibits, the measures which ultimately led to an entire separation would never have received the sanction of the British senate.*

In the year 1700, Yale College was founded. The project

* Hinton.

208

YALE COLLEGE FOUNDED.

had been the subject of conversation for two years, and at length eleven gentlemen who had been appointed as trustees assembled at Branford, and laid the foundation of the college. In the year following, the trustees obtained from the general assembly an act of incorporation and a grant of £120 annually. It was originally established at Saybrook; and, in 1702, the first degrees were there conferred. Elihu Yale made several donations to the institution, and from him it derives the name it bears. It was subsequently removed to New Haven, where a succession of able instructors has given it a rank among the first institutions in the country. The attention which was paid by the early inhabitants of New England to the establishment of institutions for the diffusion of education among all classes of the people, has produced the most important results. The general intelligence thus disseminated has proved one of the surest guarantees of the republican institutions to which the citizens have always been so warmly attached; and the leading part taken by the northern states in promoting public instruction, has been the most effective means of securing that powerful influence which they have uniformly exerted in national affairs.

S we have stated in a former chapter, when treating of an apprehended invasion of Connecticut by the Dutch, the New England colonies formed a confederacy for their mutual advantage. The motives which led to this union were various, all centring in the general security and common defence of the settlements. The aborigines in their neighbourhood were numerous enough to challenge the united force of all the colonies; the settlers of New Netherlands had become hostile, on account of their occupation of Connecticut; and the High Church party in England had given significant intimations of their discontent at the undisturbed existence of puritanism, even on the western side of the Atlantic.

L-27

(209)