A History of the Original Settlements on the Delaware

sometimes in books only to be found in European libraries. Facts of the greatest importance have been confined among the archives of public institutions, or in the cabinets of the curious. There are not many in our new country, who can afford the time necessary to explore the hidden resources of historical truth, widely scattered as they are, and often difficult of access. But a better day is opening on the vocation of the historian. Historical Societies have been formed in several of the States of our Union. The Spirit of inquiry is abroad, connected with a noble zeal to discover and rescue from destruction the remaining materials for a history of our country. The development of these hidden treasures will place us above the necessity of laying the foundation of our history in fable or uncertain tradition. We shall have no temptation to trace our lineage to imaginary deities, or to resort to poetical invention for the characters and actions of our ancestors. By an appeal to authentic facts the future historian will be able to give to his narrative a charm infinitely surpassing all others, the charm of truth.

The Dutch records at Albany, if published in a corrected translation, would furnish a large fund of curious and valuable matter for a history of our original settlements. In their present state it requires so much time, to come at their treasures, scattered in disconnected fragments through so many volumes, that few can command time and the necessary seclusion from other pursuits, to avail themselves of the opportunity they offer to enlarge our stores of historical knowledge. It is understood that Governor Beekman's official correspondence, during his residence at Christina, from the year 1659 to 1664, is among those records. From the responsibility of his station, and from his character as a man of a liberal education, his letters, written during a very interesting period of our colonial history, would probably throw much light on the subject.

A good translation of Acrelius's "History of New Sweden," would undoubtedly add much to our stock of knowledge. The small part of it already published is composed of extracts selected by Nicholas Collin, and relates chiefly to the controversies between the Dutch and the Swedes, Such detached portions of the work impair the connection of the history, and present its author in a less favourable point of view than he may justly merit. When it is considered that one department of history greatly illustrates others, it is much to be regretted that the whole work, as well that part which relates to ecclesiastical, as that which treats of civil history, is not translated and published. It is understood that a complete copy of that work is in the Library of the Philosophical Society of Pennsylvania; and from the laudable zeal of the Historical Society of that State to diffuse information, we may hope a translation of the whole work will not long be withheld from the public.

There are several other works relating to the Swedish Colonies in America, published in Sweden at different periods, which have not been translated into our language. One by T. E. Biorck, printed at Upsal in 1731; one by Andreas Hesselius who was pastor of the Church at Christina, from the year 1712, to 1723; and one by Charles David Arfwedson, published in 1825. These, if rendered into English, would undoubtedly extend the limits of our knowledge relating to the early periods of our colonial state. Biorck's work was written and published in the life time of their old pastor Ericus Biorck, and perhaps under his immediate inspection. In it would probably be found important information of an authentic character, as well as in the work of Hesselius, who having lived at Christina eleven years must have written of facts personally known to himself. As Hesselius succeeded Biorck at Christina, it is probable the two works might give us a chain of facts, of an interesting character, from the year 1697 to 1723.

The manuscripts of Du Simitiére, in the Philadelphia Library, contain a large amount of interesting information, from which might be extracted much that would illustrate the history of the early settlements in America. It is to be hoped that none of these depositories of historical knowledge will be suffered long to remain as dead stock to the inquirer into our colonial history.

The following narrative is not offered to the public as a complete or perfect history of the period it embraces. The author is well aware that more extensive research than his opportunities afforded, and higher qualifications than he can lay any claim to, are necessary to produce such a work. The limits which he had prescribed to himself, made it necessary for him to study brevity, and to convey the information in his possession in as concise a manner as possible, so as to accomplish the object he had in view. A larger work might have been written from the same materials.

The author has been much indebted to the New York Historical Society for the materials of his history. The last volume of their collections is invaluable. With the notes and observations of its able editor, it furnishes, within a small compass, a greater amount of matter relating to the first settlements of the Dutch and Swedes, within the present limits of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, than can be found within the same space elsewhere in our country.

To the state authorities at Albany for their kindness and liberality in permitting him to have free access to their records, and to copy from them such matters as he deemed needful, the author is greatly indebted; as he also is for the same privileges to the Historical Society of New York. He also gratefully acknowledges his obligations to J. C. Clay;

Rector of the church at Wicaco, and to the vestrymen and church-wardens of the old Swedish Church at Christina, for the liberal use of their church records respectively. The kindness of the City Council at Wilmington in the loan of their records is acknowledged with gratitude.

That part of the following work which is devoted to the ecclesiastical affairs of the Swedes, is the result of much labour, and a careful use of the materials in the author's possession. If it should be thought that he has gone too much into detail, the deep and general interest felt on this subject must be his apology.

In the part allotted to the local history of Wilmington, it is not expected that the distant reader will feel much interest. To his fellow citizens he has endeavoured by a free use of the authentic information in his possession to make it interesting. Some ancient documents connected with the early history of Wilmington, which were found among the records of the proprietaries of Pennsylvania, after the revolutionary war, have been inserted entire. The author has not been deterred from giving them to the public by any consideration of their length, or the minor importance of some subjects which they illustrate. Small matters at home, when they relate to remote periods of time, often excite a higher degree of interest than great things at a great distance.

In the historical documents to which the author has been indebted for the facts contained in the following work, the dates present some discrepancies, not of any material importance to the reader, but involving some difficulty in the attempt to reconcile them. Under these circumstances it has been deemed most advisable that the dates should be given as they are found in the works of the authors referred to, without regard to the different calendars, or the manner of expression. It might have been more useful to the exact chronologer, and would have been more agreeable to the author, to have reduced all the dates to one plain standard, and all to the Gregorian or new style; but the difficulty and labour of such an attempt were deemed to be greater than was called for by the circumstances.

In the compilation of this history the author has been careful not to insert any thing that cannot be sustained by competent authority. His highest aim has been to state facts in a plain and perspicuous manner, that the work may be referred to as an authentic record of events. If he has failed in either of these objects, the failure has not been intentional. The future historian may add much interesting matter to enrich and adorn the narrative, but it is confidently believed that nothing will be discovered materially to impair it, or to alter the chain of events as they are related in the following work.

Wilmington, 12th mo. 3d, 1845.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

CHAP. I.-Original discoveries of America. Hudson discovers and

enters Delaware Bay. Enters New York Bay. Ascends the

North river. Settlement at Manhattan. First settlement on the

Delaware, near Gloucester Point, by Cornelius May. Second

settlement by De Vries, near Lewestown. Destruction of his

colonists by the Indians,

CHAP. II.-Usselinx, in the reign of Gustavus Adolphus, forms a

company to settle a colony of Swedes on the Delaware. Its

failure,

CHAP. III.-Minuit, Governor of the New Netherlands, dismissed.

Succeeded by Van Twiller. Minuit goes to Sweden. Proposes

a settlement of Swedes on the Delaware. Proposition accepted.

Appointed to command the expedition,

CHAP. IV.-Minuit arrives with a squadron in the Delaware. Lands

on Mispillion Point. Settles at Christina. First town on the

Delaware founded. Fort Christina built. Kieft, the successor

of Van Twiller, protests, but submits,

CHAP. V. Several Dutch Companies, under Swedish authority,
settle on the west side of Delaware. Their privileges. Some
English families settle at Salem, N. J., and are expelled by the
Dutch and Swedes. Minuit's death. Succeeded by Hollendare.
A company of English from New Haven take possession of land
on the Schuylkill and are expelled by Kieft,
CHAP. VI.-Hollendare returns to Sweden and is succeeded by
Printz. He arrives in the Delaware. Damaged by a storm.
Settles at Tinicum. His instructions. Policy of Sweden. Fort
Gottenberg erected. Fort Elfsborg built at the mouth of Salem
Creek. Printz builds Fort Gripsholm on an island in Schuylkill.
Monopolizes the trade. The Dutch complain. First mill in
Pennsylvania, Printz quarrels with the Dutch. Land on which
Philadelphia stands first occupied by Europeans. Contention
between Printz and the Dutch Commissary. Kieft succeeded
by Stuyvesant as Governor at New Amsterdam. Stuyvesant