the quaker colonies-第21节

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The　best　days　of　the　Jersey　gentlemen　farmers　came　probably　when　they　could　no　longer　move　from　tract　to　tract。　They　settled　down　and　enjoyed　a　very　plentiful；　if　rude；　existence　on　the　products　of　their　land；　game；　and　fish；　amid　a　fine　climatewith　mosquitoes　enough　in　summer　to　act　as　a　counterirritant　and　prevent　stagnation　from　too　much　ease　and　prosperity。　After　the　manner　of　colonial　times；　they　wove　their　own　clothes　from　the　wool　of　their　own　sheep　and　made　their　own　implements；　furniture；　and　simple　machinery。

There　are　still　to　be　found　fascinating　traces　of　this　old　life　in　out…of…the…way　parts　of　southern　Jersey。　To　run　upon　old　houses　among　the　Jersey　pines　still　stored　with　Latin　classics　and　old　editions　of　Shakespeare；　Addison；　or　Samuel　Johnson；　to　come　across　an　old　mill　with　its　machinery；　cogwheels；　flywheels；　and　all；　made　of　wood；　to　find　people　who　make　their　own　oars；　and　the　handles　of　their　tools　from　the　materials　furnished　by　their　own　forest；　is　now　unfortunately　a　refreshment　of　the　spirit　that　is　daily　becoming　rarer。

This　condition　of　material　and　social　self…sufficiency　lasted　in　places　long　after　the　Revolution。　It　was　a　curious　little　aristocracya　very　faint　and　faded　one；　lacking　the　robustness　of　the　far　southern　type；　and　lacking　indeed　the　real　essential　of　an　aristocracy；　namely　political　power。　Moreover；　although　there　were　slaves　in　New　Jersey；　there　were　not　enough　of　them　to　exalt　the　Jersey　gentlemen　farmers　into　such　self…sufficient　lords　and　masters　as　the　Virginian　and　Carolinian　planters　became。

To　search　out　the　remains　of　this　stage　of　American　history；　however；　takes　one　up　many　pleasant　streams　flowing　out　of　the　forest　tract　to　the　Delaware　on　one　side　or　to　the　ocean　on　the　other。　This　topographical　formation　of　a　central　ridge　or　watershed　of　forest　and　swamp　was　a　repetition　of　the　same　formation　in　the　Delaware　peninsula；　which　like　southern　Jersey　had　originally　been　a　shoal　and　then　an　island。　The　Jersey　watershed；　with　its　streams　abounding　in　wood　duck　and　all　manner　of　wild　life；　must　have　been　in　its　primeval　days　as　fascinating　as　some　of　the　streams　of　the　Florida　cypress　swamps。　Toward　the　ocean；　Wading　River；　the　Mullica；　the　Tuckahoe；　Great　Egg；　and　on　the　Delaware　side　the　Maurice；　Cohansey；　Salem　Creek；　Oldman's；　Raccoon；　Mantua；　Woodberry；　Timber；　and　the　Rancocas；　still　possess　attraction。　Some　of　them；　on　opposite　sides　of　the　divide；　are　not　far　apart　at　their　sources　in　the　old　forest　tract；　so　that　a　canoe　can　be　transported　over　the　few　miles　and　thus　traverse　the　State。　One　of　these　trips　up　Timber　Creek　from　the　Delaware　and　across　only　eight　miles　of　land　to　the　headwaters　of　Great　Egg　Harbor　River　and　thence　down　to　the　ocean；　thus　cutting　South　Jersey　in　half；　is　a　particularly　romantic　one。　The　heavy　woods　and　swamps　of　this　secluded　route　along　these　forest　shadowed　streams　are　apparently　very　much　as　they　were　three　hundred　years　ago。

The　water　in　all　these　streams；　particularly　in　their　upper　parts；　owing　to　the　sandy　soil；　is　very　clean　and　clear　and　is　often　stained　by　the　cedar　roots　in　the　swamps　a　clear　brown；　sometimes　almost　an　amber　color。　One　of　the　streams；　the　Rancocas；　with　its　many　windings　to　Mount　Holly　and　then　far　inland　to　Brown's　Mills；　seems　to　be　the　favorite　with　canoemen　and　is　probably　without　an　equal　in　its　way　for　those　who　love　the　Indian's　gift　that　brings　us　so　close　to　nature。

The　spread　of　the　Quaker　settlements　along　Delaware　Bay　to　Cape　May　was　checked　by　the　Maurice　River　and　its　marshes　and　by　the　Great　Cedar　Swamp　which　crossed　the　country　from　Delaware　Bay　to　the　ocean　and　thus　made　of　the　Cape　May　region　a　sort　of　island。　The　Cape　May　region；　it　is　true；　was　settled　by　Quakers；　but　most　of　them　came　from　Long　Island　rather　than　from　the　settlements　on　the　Delaware。　They　had　followed　whale　fishing　on　Long　Island　and　in　pursuit　of　that　occupation　some　of　them　had　migrated　to　Cape　May　where　whales　were　numerous　not　far　off　shore。

The　leading　early　families　of　Cape　May；　the　Townsends；　Stillwells；　Corsons；　Leamings；　Ludlams；　Spicers；　and　Cresses；　many　of　whose　descendants　still　live　there；　were　Quakers　of　the　Long　Island　strain。　The　ancestor　of　the　Townsend　family　came　to　Cape　May　because　he　had　been　imprisoned　and　fined　and　threatened　with　worse　under　the　New　York　government　for　assisting　his　fellow　Quakers　to　hold　meetings。　Probably　the　occasional　severity　of　the　administration　of　the　New　York　laws　against　Quakers；　which　were　the　same　as　those　of　England；　had　as　much　to　do　as　had　the　whales　with　the　migration　to　Cape　May。　This　Quaker　civilization　extended　from　Cape　May　up　as　far　as　Great　Egg　Harbor　where　the　Great　Cedar　Swamp　joined　the　seashore。　Quaker　meeting　houses　were　built　at　Cape　May；　Galloway；　Tuckahoe；　and　Great　Egg。　All　have　been　abandoned　and　the　buildings　themselves　have　disappeared；　except　that　of　the　Cape　May　meeting；　called　the　Old　Cedar　Meeting；　at　Seaville；　and　it　has　no　congregation。　The　building　is　kept　in　repair　by　members　of　the　Society　from　other　places。

Besides　the　Quakers；　Cape　May　included　a　number　of　New　Haven　people；　the　first　of　whom　came　there　as　early　as　1640　under　the　leadership　of　George　Lamberton　and　Captain　Turner；　seeking　profit　in　whale　fishing。　They　were　not　driven　out　by　the　Dutch　and　Swedes；　as　happened　to　their　companions　who　attempted　to　settle　higher　up　the　river　at　Salem　and　the　Schuylkill。　About　one…fifth　of　the　old　family　names　of　Cape　May　and　New　Haven　are　similar；　and　there　is　supposed　to　be　not　a　little　New　England　blood　not　only　in　Cape　May　but　in　the　neighboring　counties　of　Cumberland　and　Salem。　While　the　first　New　Haven　whalers　came　to　Cape　May　in　1640；　it　is　probable　that　for　a　long　time　they　only　sheltered　their　vessels　there；　and　none　of　them　became　permanent　settlers　until　about　1685。

Scandinavians　contributed　another　element　to　the　population　of　the　Cape　May　region。　Very　little　is　definitely　known　about　this　settlement；　but　the　Swedish　names　in　Cape　May　and　Cumberland　counties　seem　to　indicate　a　migration　of　Scandinavians　from　Wilmington　and　Tinicum。

Great　Egg　Harbor；　which　formed　the　northern　part　of　the　Cape　May　settlement；　was　named　from　the　immense　numbers　of　wild　fowl；　swans；　ducks；　and　water　birds　that　formerly　nested　there　every　summer　and　have　now　been　driven　to　Canada　or　beyond。　Little　Egg　Harbor　farther　up　the　coast　was　named　for　the　same　reason　as　well　as　Egg　Island；　of　three　hundred　acres　in　Delaware　Bay；　since　then　eaten　away　by　the　tide。　The　people　of　the　district　had　excellent　living　from　the　eggs　as　well　as　from　the　plentiful　fowl；　fish；　and　oysters。

Some　farming　was　done　by　the　inhabitants　of　Cape　May；　and　many　cattle；　marked　with　brands　but　in　a　half　wild　state；　were　kept　out　on　the　uninhabited　beaches　which　have　now　become　seaside　summer　cities。　Some　of　the　cattle　were　still　running　wild　on　the　beaches　down　to　the　time　of　the　Civil　War。　The　settlers　〃mined〃　the　valuable　white　cedar　from　the　swamps　for　shingles　and　boards；　leaving　great　〃pool　holes〃　in　the　swamps　which　even　today　sometimes　trap　the　unwary　sportsman。　The　women　knitted　innumerable　mittens　and　also　made　wampum　or　Indian　money　from　the　clam　and　oyster　shells；　an　important　means　of　exchange　in　the　Indian　trade　all　over　the　colonies；　and　even　to　some　extent　among　the　colonists　themselves。　The　Cape　May　people　built　sloops　for　carrying　the　white　cedar；　the　mittens；　oysters；　and　wampum　to　the　outside　world。　They　sold　a　great　deal　of　their　cedar　in　Long　Island；　Rhode　Island；　and　Connecticut。　Philadelphia　finally　became　their　market　for　oysters　and　also　for　lumber；　corn；　and　the　whalebone　and　oil。　Their　sloops　also　traded　to　the　southern　colonies　and　even　to　the　West　Indies。

They　were　an　interesting　little　community；　these　Cape　May　people；　very　isolated　and　dependent　on　the　water　and　on　their　boats；　for　they　were　completely　cut　off　by　the　Great　Cedar　Swamp　which　stretched　across　the　point　and　separated　them　from　the　rest　of　the　coast。　This　troublesome　swamp　was　not　bridged　for　many　years；　and　even　then　the　roads　to　it　were　long；　slow；　and　too　sandy　for　transporting　anything　of　much　bulk。

Next　above　Cape　May　on　the　coast　was　another　isolated　patch　of　civilization　which；　while　not　an　island；　was　nevertheless　cut　off　on　the　south　by　Great　Egg　Harbor　with　its　river　and　marshes；　and　on　the　north　by　Little　Egg　Harbor　with　the　Mullica　River　and　its　marshes　extending　far　inland。　The　people　in　this　district　also　lived　somewhat　to　themselves。　To　the　north　lay　the　district　which　extended　to　Sandy　Hook；　also　with　its　distinct　set　of　people。

The　people　of　the　Cape　became　in　colonial　times　clever　traders　in　various　pursuits。　Although　in　one　sense　they　were　as　isolated　as　islanders；　their　adventurous　life　on　the　sea　gave　them　breadth　of　view。　By　their　thrift　and　in　innumerable　shrewd　and　persistent　ways　they　amassed　competencies　and　estates　for　their　families。　Aaron　Leaming；　for　example；　who　died　in　1780；　left　an　estate　of　nearly　1；000；000。　Some　kept　diaries　which　have　become　historically　valuable　in　showing　not　only　their　history　but　their　good　education　and　the　peculiar　cast　of　their　mind　for　keen　trading　as　well　as　their　rigid　economy　and　integrity。

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