OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLEMENTS ON THE DELAWARE, FROM ITS DISCOVERY BY HUDSON TO THE COLONIZATION UNDER WILLIAM PENN. TO WHICH IS ADDED AN ACCOUNT OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS OF THE SWEDISH SETTLERS, AND A HISTORY OF WILMINGTON, FROM ITS FIRST SETTLEMENT TO THE PRESENT TIME. ILLUSTRATED BY DRAWINGS. "Whatever draws us from the power of our senses,-whatever makes the past, the distant, BY BENJAMIN FERRIS. WILMINGTON: WILSON & HEALD, 107 MARKET STREET, - F 167 :F39 District of Delaware, to wit: Be it remembered, that on the sixteenth day of August, Anno Domini 1845, Benjamin Ferris, of the said district, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the title of which is in the words following, to wit: "A History of the Original Settlements on the Delaware, from its discovery by Hudson, to the colonization under William Penn.-To which is added, An account of the Ecclesiastical Affairs of the Swedish Settlers, and a History of Wilmington, from its first settlement to the present time, illustrated by drawings. "Whatever draws us from the power of our senses,-whatever makes the past, the dis. tant, or the future, predominate over the present, advances us in the dignity of thinking beings."-DR. JOHNSON. By BENJAMIN FERRIS. The right whereof he claims as author, in conformity with the Act of Congress, entitled "An Act to amend the several acts respecting copy rights." T. BOOTH ROBERTS, Clerk of the District. MERRIHEW & THOMPSON, Printers, 7 Carter's Alley, Philad. PREFACE. As man is the only animal which manifests the least curiosity to know what will be hereafter, so is he equally distinguished by the desire to understand what passed before he came into the world. This propensity, in the former case, is the mainspring to religious inquiry; in the latter, it is the motive to historical research. Notwithstanding the diversity of character which marks our species, we find very few who do not feel a curiosity to know something of those who lived before them, and of the parts they acted on the great theatre of life. It is found in children at a very early age. Not only are they charmed with tales of wonder; they listen with delight to the simplest narratives of fact. So deep are the impressions thus made on the memory, that before the invention of letters, they were depended on as the conservatories of historical truths. But in the transmission of events by memory only, facts are liable to become mixed with fable, time is constantly curtailing the record, and death destroys the tablet. The aid of letters is necessary to preserve their just connection, and to rescue from oblivion the most important occurrences. Much of the matter for a complete history of our primitive settlements is irrecoverably lost. The early adventurers were too much engaged in duties of the first necessity to permit them to record passing events. For the means of giving any thing like a connected statement of them we are much indebted to official documents, and other writings left by our predecessors, without any view to that object. So few publications relating to the original settlements on the Delaware have yet appeared, that many, who are far from being indifferent to the subject, know very little of the interesting circumstances of our early history. No connected narrative, sufficiently comprehensive to convey a clear understanding of them, has ever been published in our language. Those authors who have incidentally treated of the subject have been too concise to satisfy a reasonable curiosity, and in most instances they have made so many mistakes as to mislead rather than inform the reader. The truth is, that much of the matter necessary to form a correct outline of our early history, has, until lately, been locked up in foreign languages, 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. |