respectful, often kind, but always increasing my exhaustless labors, and unintentionally prostrating all the ease and comfort of my life."

His letter of April 12, 1817, says: "Your statements of the correction of the Declaration of Independence by Dr. Franklin and Mr Adams, are neither of them at all exact. The rough draft was communicated to those two gentlemen, who each of them made two or three short and verbal alterations only. But even this is laying more stress on mere composition than it merits ;-for that alone was mine, the sentiments were of all America."

"I repelled the calumny, by which a party at the time thought they could write me down, deeming even science itself, as well as my affection for it, a fit object of ridicule, and a disqualification for the affairs of government."

"Samuel Adams was a very operative member, and I believe the oldest member in the old Congress. He was a sensible speaker, but entirely without cloquence. At that time I was the youngest but one.

His letter of January 10, 1818, says: "The nonsense which has been uttered on the coup de main of Tarleton on Charlottesville is really so ridiculous, that it is almost ridiculous seriously to notice it. I will, however, briefly notice facts and dates. He did not surprise me. I had previous notice, and after preparing to start, quietly partook of breakfast with the two Speakers and some other members who were lodging with us. Having sent off my family before me, I remained till Tarleton came in sight, then mounting my horse I took a short cut through the woods to overtake my carriage. Herein I forsook the noble example of the Knight of La Mancha, and declined a combat singly with a troop, in which victory on my part would have been so glorious! Those closet heroes who find fault, would forsooth have disdained the shelter of a wood even singly and unarmed against a legion of armed enemies."

"General Lee has indulged too in some romance, saying that Tarleton afterwards made an incursion into my family seat at New London, when I was confined there by a fall from my horse, but I can assure the readers of Lee's history, that no enemy ever came within forty miles of New London."

XXVII.-The History of Mooreland from its first Purchase and Settlement to the present time. By WILLIAM J. BUCK.

PART I.

The History of Mooreland* from its early Purchase and Settlement to the commencement of the American Revolution.

William Penn, Proprietary Governor of Pennsylvania, by a certain patent under his hand and lesser seal of the province, did, for a consideration, grant and confirm to Nicholas Moore, on the 7th of the Sixth month, 1684, a tract of land containing 9815 acres in the county of Philadelphia, which was at the Governor's request called Mooreland, in honor of its purchaser, then Chief Justice of the province. It was required by the said patent that he, his heirs or successors, should for ever pay to the Proprietary, his heirs and successors, a silver English shilling for every one hundred acres annually as quit-rent. This tract which afterwards formed a township and was sometimes called the manor of Mooreland, may be stated to be bounded, after 1718, by the following townships, several of which had then been recently formed. On the northeast by Warminister and Southampton in Bucks county, and Byberry; and on the east by Byberry; northwest by Horsham and Upper Dublin, and on the southwest by Abington and Lower Dublin.

Among the most distinguished settlers of Pennsylvania, Nicholas Moore, an attorney of London, stands prominent. Hearing in England with a number of others of the enlightened policy of William Penn, and the advantageous inducements offered in the sale of lands, with the easy conditions of settlement, caused numbers to appear as ready purchasers. A company was formed at London and Bristol, of which he was chosen the president, called "The Free Society of Traders in Pennsylvania," the object of the company being the purchase of lands, with a view both to agricultural settlement and for the establishment of manufactories, and for carrying on the lumber trade and whale fisheries. He arrived with William Penn in 1682, and at the first Provincial Assembly held at Chester on the 4th of December, 1682, was chosen the first chairman or speaker. This Assembly continued in session only three days.

We find at a meeeting of the Assembly on the 12th of March, 1683, that several members reported to the Governor and Council that, at a public place, Moore had strongly spoken against their proceedings, for which he was ordered to appear before them, when he was requested to avoid such discourse in the future as being unreasonable and imprudent. In the beginning of 1684 he was again a member of the assemby for the county of Philadelphia, and much to the opposition of the members alluded to, was again re-elected speaker of that body. On the 4th of

* By this name the author designates what are now Moreland Township in Montgomery county, and the Manor of Moreland in Philadelphia county.-PUB. COMMITTEE.

6th month, William Penu commissioned him with four others provincial judges for the two years from the said date. And on the 12th of 7th month, the Council duly qualified him to act as one of the Judges of the Province, and he was made chief justice of the number.

The Assembly on the 15th of May, 1685, drew up a declaration against him, which was presented by the speaker and members to the President and Provincial Council, in the council chamber. In this they charged the said Nicholas Moore, in a bill of ten articles, with various crimes and misdemeanors, such as assuming unlimited and arbitrary power, of sending unlawful writs to the sheriffs, refusing a verdict brought in by a lawful jury; that he had declared neither he nor his actions were accountable to the Council, and had denied their authority, and assumed the power to appoint the time of holding the circuit courts, and placing himself above the reach of justice. Therefore the Assembly resolve to put bounds to his ambition, violence and oppression, impeach and charge him with the above and various other crimes and misdemeanors, and request the President and Provincial Council to remove the said Nicholas Moore from his great offices and trust, and require him to answer the various charges brought against him. By order of the Assembly, the speaker appointed a committee of four to inform him of their proceedings, and request him to appear before them the next morning at 7 o'clock. As he did not appear, it was ordered on the 16th of September following, that as he was suffering from sickness and in a languishing condition, no definite answer could be given.

A short time after the Provincial Judges were commissioned, William Penn left the province for England. At the close of their session, the Assembly transmitted a letter informing him of the impeachment. A notice was likewise sent to Judge Moore, by the Council, requesting him to desist acting in any court of judicature.

It seems that on receiving the impeachment, the conduct of the Assembly did not meet the approbation of the Proprietary, for after this, by letter in 1686, he changed the executive government to a board of five commissioners, amongst whom were N. Moore and two of his associate judges; any three of whom were to be a quorum competent for the transaction of business. While this board continued to act, which was nearly two years, and by which he was promoted to an office of the highest responsibility, his conduct gave general satisfaction. Whatever the Assembly accused him of, he enjoyed the high confidence of William Penn. His integrity gained him many friends, and his abilities were such as to have made him a conspicuous character in the early history of our State. After a languishing illness of several years, he died in 1689. His name has become identified with, and will be handed down to other generations by one of the richest and loveliest agricultural districts in Pennsylvania.

From the power conferred in the charter granted by Charles II., the Proprietary and his successors were the absolute owners of the soil. They stipulated to extinguish all the aboriginal right, to whatever lands were conveyed to those holding their titles under them. William Penn, a short time previous to the grant to Nicholas Moore, procured by two

purchases from the Indians, their right to any portion embraced within the limits of Mooreland. The first had within its limits two-thirds of the said grant, and was purchased the 23d of June, 1683, of Essepenaike, Swanpees, Okkettarikon and Wessapoak, chiefs, for a consideration to be paid in wampum, guns, stockings, looking glasses, blankets and other goods, being for all their lands lying between the Pennepack and Neshaminy creeks, and giving up all claims to the same for ever.

On the 7th of June, 1684, Metamicon, whom the whites had called Richard, relinquished all his right to the lands on both sides of the Pennepack, from its source to its entrance into the Delaware. He had, it is believed, always resided with his followers upon this stream, and was loth to part with the hunting greund of his fathers. But he nobly complied, though at a sacrifice, and with a few companions forsook his native stream to move farther towards the setting sun, thinking with sad feelings as he wended his way, that with every step he left a track for the white man to follow. Metamicon is the only Indian we can find, with certainty, that was a resident by our beautiful stream, and we regret to say that it bears the only aboriginal name in Mooreland. Some time after, in July, 1685, an extensive purchase was made for the land between the Pennepack and Chester creeks. The last conveyance of lands by the Indians in this part of Pennsylvania, was made at Philadelphia the 5th of July, 1697, by the celebrated chief Taminy, his two brothers Sethimac and Weheeland, his son Wehequeekhon, named Andrew who was to be his successor, and his other sons Yaqueekhon and Quenamockquid, for all the lands between the Pennepack and Neshaminy creeks, and extending several days' journey beyond the sources of those streams. This embraced all the track, mentioned as having been purchased in 1683, but this was deemed essential, as the claims of the Indians to their lands frequently conflicted, from their having no boundaries and holding it in common. It was the policy of William Penn to secure their general consent, and to cause no jealousies among them that might in the least degree conflict with the prevailing harmony.

We deem the present occasion suitable to say a few words respecting those who were once the sole owners of our soil. As a tribe they have long ago disappeared, and but few memorials remain in Mooreland of their existence. The antiquarian can trace but one name, and yet occasionally, the ploughshare turns up an arrow-head or an axe, ingeniously made of stone, which induces the ploughboy to stop and pick them up, to wonder to whom, or to what kind of a people they might have belonged. When our early settlers came amongst them, they received them with great kindness, cheerfully supplied their wants, and often shared with them their rude and humble dwellings. They considered their white guests as sacred persons, and willingly exchanged their lands and furs for useful and ornamented articles, and frequently presented them with lands.

The historian need not sully a page to record a single outrage that ever occurred here between the white and red man. They lived in harmony; though fire arms and other weapons were supplied them in traffic and the exchange of their lands, they were never employed for hostile

purposes. Several traits in their character especially redound much to their honor; in all their treaties, sales of lands and other bargains, they always complied with the stipulations, and retained an inviolable respect for the property belonging to the whites, and whatever was entrusted them could be punctually relied upon; their hospitality knew no bounds; the last morsel was shared, and the only robe in the red man's hut given the stranger to keep him warm.

Somewhere about 1685, Nicholas Moore commenced the erection of buildings on the lower or eastern part of his tract, about half a mile west of where Smithfield now is; where he built himself a mansion house suitable to the dignity of the first Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, and which formed the first settlement in Mooreland, which he named Green Spring, from an excellent spring of water that flowed near by. Previous to his residence here, he resided in Philadelphia, on what was called lot number six, which he had early purchased, and which contained several thousand acres.

It was supposed, that in making the surveys of the first grants, large quantities of overplus lands had been included in the patents. It was finally agreed that any lands in the Province might be re-surveyed, when there was reason to believe that they included more than what was called for in the conveyance. It is believed that it was rarely or never done intentionally, but in mistake, or from the want of proper skill, which was so requisite in making the surveys of a country then in a state of nature, with so many impediments in the way, as it is well known that the old surveys always overran those more recently made. By a warrant issued by the Commissioners of property, the 10th of July, 1689, Thomas Fairman, deputy surveyor-general was empowered to make a resurvey of Mooreland, when it was ascertained that there was an overplus of 500 acres, which was laid off in one piece on the upper or northwestern part, now adjoining Horsham, and extending south from the county line. By this survey, Mooreland as originally granted, must have contained 10,413 acres, which includes four acres for difference in surveys, and six for roads, to every one hundred acres, which was required to be given additionally, in a new patent. The above 500 acres overplus were sold to the said Thomas Fairman and Anna Salters.

In the grant of 1684, Mooreland was stated to be in Philadelphia County, though no boundary had then been made with the adjoining County of Bucks, which the Council finally determined upon in April, 1685. In making this survey, we learn, that where the county lineroad now extends, along the entire length of Mooreland, in a north-west course, there was a dense forest, and they were compelled to mark their course as well as the boundary line on the forest trees. This now forms the division line between Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and separates Mooreland from Warminster and Southampton Townships.

Not long after the decease of Nicholas Moore in 1689, Mary his wife died, and some time previous to 1694, his son Samuel and daughter Rebecca deceased, leaving three surviving children. Nicholas Moore, at the time of his death, was considerably indebted. Among his creditors, John Holmes presented on the 23d of April, 1695, a petition to the