country. The first grant from the crown, under which settlements were actually made in North America, was dated April 10, 1606. James I., by his letters patent, granted an exclusive right or privilege to two companies, called the London and Plymouth companies, by which they were authorized to possess the lands in America, lying between the thirtyfourth and forty-fifth degrees of north latitude; the southern part, called South Virginia, to the London, and the northern, called North Virginia, to the Plymouth company. Before the present patents, however, a project to settle the country was undertaken by Sir Walter Raleigh, who, under a com mission from Elizabeth, in 1584, had arrived in this portion of North America, which, upon his flattering account of it, was called Virginia, in compliment to the queen's virgin majesty. But this project, as well as two that followed it, wholly failed.

Under the king's patent, the London company sent Captain Christopher Newport to Virginia, December 20th, 1606, with a colony of one hundred and five persons, to commence a settlement on the island Roanoke, now in North Carolina. By stress of weather, however, they were driven north of their place of destination, and entered Chesapeake Bay. Here, up a river which they called James river, on a beautiful peninsula, they commenced, in May, 1607, the settlement of Jamestown. This was the first permanent settlement in the United States.

37. Seven years afterwards, 1614, a colony of Dutch commenced a settlement on the present island of New-York, which had been discovered in the year 1609, by Henry Hudson, an Englishman in the service of Holland. The Eng lish government claimed a prior right to the country, by virtue of Cabot's discovery; but the first settlers retained pos session, until 1664, when it was surrendered to an armament fitted out by Charles II., and received its name from his brother, the duke of York. It had been previously called NewAmsterdam. The Dutch had built a fort here, and one also at Albany.

38. The same year in which the Dutch settled on the Hudson, Captain John Smith, ranged the coast, from Penobscot to Cape Cod. King Charles, to whom a map of the country was presented, named it New-England, instead of

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North Virginia. Sixteen years from this, December 22, 1620, a colony of puritans landed at Plymouth, in Massachusetts, and began the first permanent settlement in NewEngland. These colonists were originally from England, but had resided several years in Holland, on account of the religious intolerance which prevailed in their native country The colony of Plymouth was afterwards connected with another colony in New-England, called Massachusetts Bay, which was founded in 1628.

39. In 1623, a number of persons from England, arrived in the river Piscataqua, and began two settlements; one at the mouth, at a place called Little Harbour, the other at a place now called Dover. These were the first settlements in New-Hampshire.

40. The next settlement in the order of time, seems to be that which was made by some bodies of the Dutch and Danes, about the year 1625, in New-Jersey. This was followed by the colonization of Delaware, in 1627, by the Swedes.

41. In 1637, Charles I. granted a patent to Lord Baltimore, conveying to him a tract of country, on the Chesapeak Bay, which, in honour of Henrietta Maria, daughter of the French king, he named Maryland. The next year, Baltimore appointed his brother, Leonard Calvert, governor of the province, who, with about two hundred planters, chiefly Roman catholics, began a settlement, in 1634, near the mouth of the Potomac, on the northern side.

42. In 1633, the first house was erected in Connecticut. This was a trading house built by some Plymouth adventurers, who transported the materials up Connecticut river. Two years from this, 1635, about sixty men, women and children, from Newtown and Watertown, in Massachusetts, commenced their journey through the wilderness to Connecticut river. By these people, Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford, were settled.

43. The settlement of Rhode Island, is dated from the year 1636, an event occasioned by the banishment of Roger Williams from Massachusetts, on account of his religious opinions. He removed with his family to Mooshawic, and began a plantation, which, on account of the Divine kind. ness, he called Providence,

44. The colony of New-Haven, was formed in 1638, m consequence of the English having occasion to visit the territory, in an expedition against the Pequots. This colony eventually united with that of Connecticut.

45. In 1663, some of the Virginia settlers laid the foun. dation of North Carolina, which was followed by the settlement of South Carolina, in 1670. The Carolinas were so called in honour of Charles IX., king of France, under whose patronage the coast had been discovered, in 1563.

46. In Pennsylvania, a small body of Swedes had plant ted themselves, at an early period. Their settlement in creased slowly, until the arrival of William Penn, in 1681, with a numerous company of Quakers, whom religious persecution drove across the Atlantic. Penn had acquired a grant of the territory now constituting the state, in consideration of the debts due from the crown, for services performed by his father, admiral Penn.

47. The last settled of the original thirteen states, was Georgia, founded in 1732, by General Qglethorpe. This comes within our next succeeding period. At first, Georgia, and even the Floridas, were covered by the Charter, as it was afterwards confirmed and enlarged, which conveyed Carolina to its proprietors.

48. The three eldest of the American states, it will be perceived above, are Virginia, New-York, and Massachusetts. These have hitherto been the most important and influential in the confederacy. Others, however, from their numbers, are beginning to acquire their just consideration.

49. The causes of the settlement of the American states, were various. Some were made on mercenary views, the usual principle of colonization, for the particular benefits of the proprietors. This was the case with Virginia. The immediate purpose of the settlement of New-York, was commerce. The Dutch were then particularly distinguished for their commercial and enterprising spirit. Massachusetts, and New-England generally, were planted principally to enjoy, in an unrestricted manner, the institutions of religion.

50. In the original foundation of three of the states, viz., Rhode Island, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the free toleration of religion was recognized, and these were the first civil communities which acted on a principle that now seems to

be fast gaining the popular consent. In the other colonies, there was a degree of intolerance on the subject of religion, the fault of the age; and yet they laid the foundations of a civil community, the freest and best which the world had hitherto seen. In New-England, particularly, they wished to enjoy their religion in peace; and in shutting out others, whose religious opinions differed from their own, they seem to have justified themselves on the principle of self defence, with a view to be delivered, ever afterwards, from evils similar to those from which they had recently escaped. As, however, it must be impossible to prevent differences of opinion on the subject of religion, a civil community would be wise in providing for such a state of things, by suitable and tolerant regulations.

51. Many of the first settlers of the country, were men of talents and liberal culture; and a wilderness has never been planted by a body of people, who were more solicitous for the interests of learning, and general education. Next, after the establishment of the Gospel, their greatest object was to multiply schools and higher seminaries of learning. Indeed, the colonists possessed excellent traits. Their morality and piety, their spirit of enterprise and habits of industry, their love of liberty, and attention to education, were unparalleled in the history of similar efforts. They were not perfect men, but they were the best and the noblest that ever founded an empire. These remarks are intended particularly for New-England, though they have a degree of application to all the American states.

52. The colonists purchased their lands of the Indians; and notwithstanding what has been often asserted, respecting the frauds that were practised, there is little reason to question the purity of motive, and the good faith of those who were engaged in these transactions.

53. The settlers in some of the colonies, experienced at first, but little trouble from the Indians, for many years. This was the case particularly with Massachusetts and Pennsylva nia. In others, they were molested from this quarter, at a very early period. Connecticut, and particularly Virginia, were obliged, soon after their settlement, to make war against the savages, in self-defence. And all the colonies, sooner or later, suffered in various ways, and especially by contentions

with the natives. It is not to be denied, that in the end, wrong was sometimes done to these miserable tribes. Their ferocity and faithlessness were, occasionally, met with the sternest inflictions of vengeance on the part of the whites.

Respecting the colonists as a body, during the present period, it may be remarked, in a very general way, that they struggled long with all the hardships, difficulties, and priva tions incident to new establishments among savages; that they displayed a heroism and constancy, such as have rarely been witnessed among men, and though tempted to believe, in some instances, that their undertaking would never succeed, yet that their virtues finally overcame every obstacle, and they found themselves before the conclusion of this period, increasing in wealth and population.

It may be added, that the colonists were often involved in the wars of the mother country, with other powers; that a few of their wars with the Indians, affected several of the states at a time, and that a consideration of their common exposure, led to a general intercourse with one another, and particularly to the union which was formed between the NewEngland colonies, in 1643; a union which lasted more than forty years, or until their charters were revoked, and which furnished the example of that nobler confederacy which has since taken place, of all the American states. In general, however, it is with the individual colonies that we are mostly concerned in the history of this period, but the limits of our work will admit only of a very few details, in regard to one or two of the states.

§ Two years after the settlement of Connecticut, occurred the war with the Pequots, a tribe of Indians, whose principal residence was on a hill in the present town of Groton These savages had previously made depredations on the infant settlement, and killed seve ral individuals, and carried others away captive. In this perilous state of affairs, a court, convened at Hartford, determined on war. Ninety men, nearly half the fencible men of the colony, were ordered to be raised. Forty-two from Hartford, thirty from Windsor, and eighteen from Wethersfield. These troops, together with seventy River and Mohegan Indians, were commanded by Captain Mason, who, sailing down the river, surprised Mystic, one of the principal forts of the enemy, in the present town of Stonington.

Before the savages could get themselves in readiness, the troops instantly pressed forward and fired. The destruction soon became terrible, but the Indians rallied at length, and made a desperate re