1754 1. As being unjust by any charter to exclude any Protestant Denomination in this province, from any office in our College. 2. As being inconsistent with religious liberty, to impose any method of divine service, unless it be formed for that purpose in such way as the Legislature sha agree to. 3. As tending to monopolize learning to a small party, and to drive the greatest part of the youth intended for an education to seek it out of this province. 4. As subversive of the generous design a Publick College, intended by the acts of the Legislature, referred to in the petition, which do not exclude any denomination of Protestants from public office therein. 5. As dangerous to the peace and Prosperity of this province, by establishing i a minor party a constitutional right with an exclusive dominion over the far greater part of the inhabitants thereof. 6. As detrimental to his Majesty's interest, the honor of his government within this province and the general good and welfare of the people that inhabit the same For these reasons we do enter our protestation against and dissent to the grant of the prayer of the said petition, with such exclusive clauses as are contained in it. Protesting further and declaring it to be our undoubted right and bounden duty for his Majesty's service, and with regard to civil and religion interests of the good people of this province, as occasion may require to publish this our protestation for the common good. New York, 30th May, 1754. Ja. Alexander P. S.-We have recollected since writing the above, that John Chambers, Esq., as a judge of the Supreme Court, and Edward Holland, Esq., as Mayor of the city of New York, are two of the Trustees named by the Act of the Assembly mentioned in the preceeding petition, and consequently, they are not the less petitioners, that Mr Livingston has signed the petition by order of the Trustees. And with submission, we think, no person can be a fit judge of his own petition. And for that reason de also protest against the granting the said petition. Ja. Alexander His Honor was pleased to observe that as the gentlemen dissenting to the said report, had in their protest declared it to be their undoubted right and bound-a duty, as occasion might require, to publish their said protestation for the comme good, and should they publish the same, considering that their protest was laid before this board, and entered in the minutes thereof, it might be presumed to be published with their approbation, and, therefore, he desired the opinion of the Council whether they thought it proper that leave should be given to publish the same. The Council declared as they were of opinion it ought not to be published; they could not advise or consent that leave should be given for that purpose..... -Council Minutes, 2204 ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR ON THE PETITION FOR A CHARTER FOR By the Hon. James De Lancey, Esq., his Majesty's Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the Province of New York and the Territories depending thereon in America. To William Kempe, Esq., his Majesty's Attorney General for the Province of Fee York: Whereas, The Trustees mentioned and appointed in and by an act passed, etc., etc. (as above) hath by their humble Petition presented unto me and read in Council the 28th day of. May last, humbly prayed I would grant to them, the petitioners. ** to such persons as should be thought proper, his Majesty's Charter of Incorporatio with such privileges as should be thought meet, which Petition was then referred a Committee of Gentlemen of the Council, or any five of them. The Chairmat whereof afterward reported that the Committee were humbly of opinion that i should grant to proper persons his Majesty's Letters Patent for incorporating the said College according to the purport and prayer of the petition, and direct the Attorney General to prepare a draft of the said Letters Patent or Charter, which report was agreed to and approved of as the said petition and the proceedings in Council thereupon, copies of which are hereunto annexed, may more fully and at large appear. I have therefore thought fit by and with the advice of his Majesty's Council to direct, and you are hereby directed and required to prepare a draft of the said letters Patent or Charter according to the purport and prayer of the said petition, and to lay the same before me in Council-and for so doing this shall be your sufficient warrant. Given under my hand, etc., etc., the 4th day of June, 1754.-From N. Y. Col. MSS., lxxvii., 121. 1754 REPLY OF WILLIAM SAMUEL JOHNSON, (SON OF DR. SAMUEL Abstract. Did not wish to enter into controversy. Livingston's reasons far-fetched. Strained construction of the Act of Assembly, (to raise moneys), and of the purport of the petition and Charter, (as proposed? for Charter is dated October 31, 1754.) The gentlemen determined to oppose everything which does not coincide with Independency in religion and government.-"The Protest, I think, goes upon a wrong supposition, namely, that the Charter petitioned for, is to establish a College without the approbation, and almost independent of, the Assembly or Legislature; to the support of which, nevertheless, the moneys granted by the two Acts of Assembly are to be applied, contrary to the intentions and design of the Assembly in making the grant; which, I take it, is by no means aimed at by anybody, nor, indeed, I conceive can possibly be." Trinity Church could not be expected to make the offer of land for the College without the conditions annexed. June 13, 1754. William Samuel Johnson. Beardslee's Life of Dr. Samuel Johnson, 192. See May 16, 1754, and Nov. 1, 1754. RELIGION AMONG THE MOHAWKS. Proceedings of the Colonial Congress held at Albany. (New York Papers, Bundle Kk., No. 20.) Albany the 19. June 1754. Brethren: We the Mohawks of both Castles have also one request to make, which is, that the people who are settled round about us may not be suffered to sell our people Rum; It keeps them all poor, makes them idle and wicked; if they have any money or goods they lay it all out in Rum, it destroys virtue and the progress of Religion amongst us: (the lower Castle of the Mohawks have a Chapel and an English Missionary belonging to it). We have a friendly request to make to the Governor and all the Commissioners ere present, that they will help us to build a Church at Cannojohary, and that we nay have a Bell in it, which together with the putting a stop to the selling of Rum, vill tend to make us Religious and lead better lives than we do now. His Honour's draught of the speech he proposes to make to the Six Nations which as delivered to the Board the 6th inst: was read, and after debate had thereon, 1754 relative to the sale of Rum amongst them, and the Cannajohary's desire about a Church, some alterations and additions to it were agreed to be proposed to his Honour. Brethren of the Upper Castle of the Mohawks. I am well pleased with your earnest request to have a Church built amongst you, and shall do everything in my power to promote so good a work, and it is very agreeable to me, and the Commissioners from all the Governments present to find a disposition in you to receive the Christian Religion. -Col. Docs. N. Y., Vol. vi. 876-7, 880, 883. THE CHURCH AND THE COLLege. Reverend S. Johnson to the Archbishop of Canterbury.* July May it please Your Grace: 10, 1754. The Bearer hereof is Mr. Solomon Palmer who having been brought up and graduated at New Haven College, has for several Years, been a dissenting Minister of a very good character and in much esteem but upon occasion of our late Confusions he hath been led to read many of the best Divines of our Church, which has of late convinced him that it is his duty to conform to the church, and now goes wel recommended by several of the Clergy of Connecticut to my Lord of London for holy orders to be incumbent to several adjacent places in the County of Litchfield in that Colony, where his late parish is, and where there are many people that earnestly desire he may be settled among them. And though they are most of them. but poor new planters, they have engaged thirty pounds sterling per annum which he hath accepted as a Title for his Ordination, and which I hope my Lord of London will accept of as he does not go with any dependence on any Salary from the Society. Nevertheless, as this will be but a very slender support for a family of seven Children, he is also recommended to the Society; and I shall be very thoughtful for Your Grace's influence, if it may be, that he may have a small pension allowed him in addition to it. On this occasion I humbly beg leave to inform Your Grace that the Gentlemen of the City of New York, where I now am, have, for several Years, been projecting to establish a College here, and been raising money for that purpose, and are now resolved speedily to carry it into execution. They have all along been often expressing their design that I should be the Head of their intended College; from which, (upon a visit I made them last fall,) I sincerely endeavoured, to my utmost to dissuade them; notwithstanding which they have since unanimously chosen me to this Office, assuring me that they cannot be agreed on any other method, and that my refusal would much endanger the miscarriage of their design; and it seems the general persuasion that it is my duty to accept. However I have this Spring been prevailed upon to spend, at least, some months here, (my neighboring brethren in the mean time taking turns to do duty for me in my absence;) in which time the Trustees have been projecting a Charter, according to the tenor of which, the service of the Church is to be always used in the College. and the President to be always of the Church of England; and it is passed in Conncil and preparing for the Seals.-In consideration of which conditions, the gentlemen of Trinity Church will give a tract of land excellently situated, whereon to build it, with 7 or 8000 pounds,-And it is intended that Your Grace and my Lord of London be first named among the Governors of the College to be incorporated. Here is indeed a most virulent and active faction of Presbyterians and Freethinkers that do violently oppose such a Charter, and do all they can to disaffect The most Reverend Dr. Herring was Bishop of Bangor in 1737; he succeeded Dr. Blackburne as archbishop of York in 1743, and on the death of Dr. Potter. 1747, was elevated to the See of Canterbury. He died on the 13th of March, 15 "He was a very amiable man, to whom no fault was objected; though perhaps the gentleness of his principles, his great merit, was thought one. During the rebellizz he had taken up arms to defend from oppression that religion, which he abhorned making an instrument of oppression." Walpole.-Ed. the Dutch, without whom they bear but a small proportion in the province.-But as the Dutch seem generally steady in their union with the Church of England, it is not much doubted that the General Assembly will approve of the Charter: and if they do, I believe I must accept of this Office and settle here, and apply myself to the discharge of it as well as I can. And I humbly beg an interest in Your Grace's prayers in my behalf, of which I shall stand in much need as I am very deficient in proper qualifications for such a business, and especially considering my advanced Years. I am, May it please Your Grace, Your Grace's most dutiful son & most obedient humble Servant, New York, July 10, 1754. (signed) Samuel Johnson. -Col. Docs. N. Y. Vol. vi. pp. 849, 850. RELIGION AMONG THE MOHAWKS. Lieutenant Governor De Lancey to the Lords of Trade. My Lords: New York, July 22, 1754. They (the Mohawks) have desired me to get a Church built among them. I shall grant a Brief for that purpose, and encourage subscriptions, and if I can obtain a sufficient sum, I will order the Church to be built of Stone, in such a Manner, that it may serve as a Fort upon any emergency. Thus much of the upper Mohawks. The lower Castle of Mohawks have also put in their complaints to me, and they consist of two articles. One relates to a grant of Land made by them to Mr. Barclay, present Rector of Trinity Church; this grant passed through the usual forms, but they say they intended it as a Glebe for his use, while he lived among them as a Missionary and afterwards for the use of his successors; but I am informed he made a regular purchase of it, and believe it to be so, as he laid out a considerable sum of money in building on it, which no prudent Man would have done, who had only an estate of so short a continuance. I shall lay it before the Assembly and endeavour to prevail on them to pay Mr. Barclay for his improvements, who, I am assured, is willing to convey that Estate for the use of a Missionary forever, upon being reimbursed the Expenses he has been at. My Lords, Your Lordship's most obedient and most humble servant, James De Lancey. CLASSIS OF AMSTERDAM. Acts of the Deputies. July 22, 1754. (Abstract.) No. 213.2. Letter from the Consistory of Queens County on Long Island of May 21, 1754. Signed by David Durye as committee. Received July 22, 1754. Contains a declaration in favor of Rev. Arondeus; viz., that he was inclined to preach a second Confession-Sermon, but the committee of New York, Rev. Ritsema, Rev. de Ronde, and the elders on the committee, prevented this second agreed-to-con 1754 1754 fession, because they were convinced that Rev. Arondeus was no unlawful intruder, and thus need make no confession of being st. Four other elders also testify to the same by their signatures. xxiii. 411. CERTIFICATE OF STUDY, FOR JOHANNES AEMILIUS WERNIG, (WE Ornatissimus Juvenis, Johannes Aemilius Wernig, Weingartersis, S. St. Theologiae Studiosus hactenus non solum curriculur Theologiae dogmaticae absolvit, at repetendo huic curriculo nure intentus est; sed etiam praecepta formandae orationis sacrae audivit. Vitam quoque externe honestam, quantum scio, et a vitas immunem dunit. Quoniam vero fundamenta tantum prima utriusg. Theologiae Scientiae et Theoreticae et Practicae posnit, industria opus, et continnata diligentia, crescente etiem in dies fervore et zelo, ut ab initiis hisce ad felicem studiorum metam bono cum Deo pregrediatur. Eum in finem deum in Christo propitium, et Spiritus St. bonum ac gratiam apprecor. Heydelbergae, July 23, 1754. [See July 14, 1751; July 17, 1752.] C. Brunings. THE SYNOD OF NORTH HOLLAND, JULY 30-AUG. 8, 1754. The Synod received a German letter from New York, dated April 25, 1754, relating to Pennsylvania affairs. See Article 45. The German churches advised not to unite in a Conference with the Presbyterian churches in America. Nothing in the Minutes of this session relating to New York. CORRESPONDENCE IN AMERICA. (Rev. U. Van Sinderen to his Opponents, Aug. 15, 1754.) Having understood from reports that the Classical Letter from Amsterdam, which your Revs. recently received, made mention |