After the death of Mason in 1635 his widow managed the affairs of the colony for a few years. She was not equal to the task, however, and the expenses exceeded the revenues. The scattered inhabitants of the province were, therefore, left to themselves. When Anne Hutchinson and her friends were banished from Massachusetts, Wheelright and others went northward and founded a colony at Exeter on liberal principles.

When the government of Massachusetts began to settle into a more firm and liberal shape, the colonists of New Hampshire became willing and even anxious to be taken under its jurisdiction. In 1642, by the act of her own colonists, New Hampshire was made a part of Massachusetts, on equal terms with the rest of that colony. In fact, the settlers of Dover and New Hampshire were allowed more religious freedom than the inhabitants of Massachusetts Bay. They were not Puritans, and therefore it was agreed that churchmembership should not be the test of a freeman.

This union lasted for thirty-seven years. The heirs of the original proprietor, meanwhile, had laid claim to the province, and the courts of England had decided that their claim was good as regarded the soil of New Hampshire, though invalid as to its government. Then it was argued that the courts of Massachusetts would never decide in favor of the heirs of Mason in their claims against the possessors of the ground; it was contended that colonial courts could not be established except in a separate colony. King Charles II., therefore, decreed in 1679 that New Hampshire should henceforth be a royal province, and Edward Cranfield was named as governor.

Before Cranfield arrived the colonists had called a popular assembly, which declared that no law should be valid without the consent of the people and their representatives. In 1682 Cranfield dismissed the as

sembly. The people were enraged at this exhibition of despotism. They resisted the attempts of the royal officers to collect rents. The governor ordered out the militia. Not a soldier responded. The stubbornness of the people was too much for Cranfield to bear, and he wrote to England requesting to be relieved from his unpleasant position. Thus the colonists shook off their unpopular governor.

A renewal of the union with Massachusetts was now desired, but before this could be consummated Andros became governor of New England. New Hampshire could do nothing where stronger provinces failed, and therefore submitted to his authority. But in 1689, as we have read, Massachusetts imprisoned the tyrant, and New Hampshire also became free once

more.

A general assembly, which met at Portsmouth the next year, passed an act uniting New Hampshire with Massachusetts, but two years later this action was reversed by the English government, and the two provinces were once more separated. When the Earl of Bellomont became governor of New York in 1698, Massachusetts and New Hampshire were added to his jurisdiction, and from this time till 1741 the two latter colonies were joined under the same royal government.

The difficulties about the land had meanwhile continued. The claims of Mason's heirs had been transferred in 1691 to one Samuel Allen. A relation of his, Usher by name, was appointed deputy-governor, and he made numerous vain attempts to gain possession of the land. After Allen died his heirs gave up their endeavors in 1715. But later on a descendant of Mason discovered a defect in the deed that had been made to Allen, and once more an attempt, useless as the others, was made to recover the soil. The matter was finally settled by allowing the Masonian claim to

the unoccupied parts of the province on a surrender of all claims to the remainder.

During the wars with the French and the Indians New Hampshire suffered severely, but her settlers were hardy and gradually recovered from these blows. The colony at first grew slowly; thirty years after its foundation Portsmouth numbered but fifty or sixty families. But the rugged climate and the difficulties through which they passed developed in New Hampshire a robust, independent, and patriotic people.

CHAPTER XXI.

NEW JERSEY.

Early settlements-Berkeley and Carteret become proprietorsElizabethtown settled-The government of the colony-Land troubles-Berkeley sells his interest-It comes into the hands of Penn and other Quakers-East and West Jersey - The Duke of York relinquishes his claims-East Jersey purchased by the Quakers-The authority of Andros in Jersey-New Jersey becomes a royal province.

The first settlement in New Jersey seems to have been a trading-station established in 1618 at Bergen, opposite New Amsterdam; but permanent houses were not built here till 1658. Fort Nassau was built in 1623 by the Dutch but was soon vacated. In 1634 not a single white man lived in the part of the territory south of Camden. In 1651 a grant was made that included the site of Elizabethtown, but no settlements were made therein, and in 1658 a grant includ, ing Bergen was made and that place became a per manent settlement.

The first English settlement, however, from the date of which the history of New Jersey fairly begins, did not take place till 1664. The territory had been included in the grant which Charles II. made to his brother James, Duke of York, and by him it had been assigned to the proprietors of Carolina, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. Shortly after the Duke of York obtained possession of his province, Governor Nicolls granted a tract of land on Newark Bay to a

company of Puritans, and in October, 1664, Elizabethtown was settled.

In 1665 Philip Carteret, son of one of the proprietors, came with a commission as governor. Nicolls, although he would not at first believe that the Duke of York had disposed of part of his territory, could not prevent Carteret from taking possession. Elizabethtown was made the capital of the province. Newark and other villages were established, and the territory was named New Jersey, after the island of Jersey in the English Channel, of which Sir George Carteret had been governor.

A liberal constitution was given to the colony, though the proprietors were royalists. A governor, a council, and a popular assembly were provided for, taxes were to be levied only with the consent of the people's representatives, and freedom of conscience was guaranteed. Berkeley and Carteret kept in their own hands the appointment of governor and judges and the right of veto on acts of the assembly. The settlers were given the land for a quit-rent of half a penny an acre, which was not to be called for till 1670

The first assembly met in 1668 and was almost wholly composed of Puritans. Everything went smoothly till the quit-rents became due. By this time the settlers had bought their lands from the Indians and from Nicolls, of New York, who still maintained his right to Jersey. They resisted, therefore, the collection of the rents, and in 1672 the assembly deposed the governor. In his place was chosen George Carteret, another son of Sir George.

We have read that in 1673 the Dutch regained possession of New Netherlands, which included New Jersey, and retained their hold on the territory for a few months. Then the Duke of York came once more into possession of his province, which by a new