the quaker colonies-第26节

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y　effectively　concealed　the　rigging　from　British　cruisers　prowling　along　the　shore。

Along　with　the　whaling　industry　the　risks　and　seclusion　of　the　inlets　and　channels　developed　a　romantic　class　of　gentlemen；　as　handy　with　musket　and　cutlass　as　with　helm　and　sheet；　fond　of　easy；　exciting　profits；　and　reaping　where　they　had　not　sown。　They　would　start　legally　enough；　for　they　began　as　privateersmen　under　legal　letters　of　marque　in　the　wars。　But　the　step　was　a　short　one　to　a　traffic　still　more　profitable；　and　for　a　hundred　years　Jersey　customs　officers　are　said　to　have　issued　documents　which　were　ostensibly　letters　of　marque　but　which　really　abetted　a　piratical　cruise。　Piracy　was；　however；　in　those　days　a　semi…legitimate　offense；　winked　at　by　the　authorities　all　through　the　colonial　period；　and　respectable　people　and　governors　and　officials　of　New　York　and　North　Carolina；　it　is　said；　secretly　furnished　funds　for　such　expeditions　and　were　interested　in　the　profits。



Chapter　XII。　Little　Delaware

Delaware　was　the　first　colony　to　be　established　on　the　river　that　bears　this　name。　It　went　through　half　a　century　of　experiences　under　the　Dutch　and　Swedes　from　1609　to　1664；　and　then　eighteen　years　under　the　English　rule　of　the　Duke　of　York；　from　whom　it　passed　into　the　hands　of　William　Penn；　the　Quaker。　The　Dutch　got　into　it　by　an　accident　and　were　regarded　by　the　English　as　interlopers。　And　the　Swedes　who　followed　had　no　better　title。

The　whole　North　Atlantic　seaboard　was　claimed　by　England　by　virtue　of　the　discoveries　of　the　Cabots；　father　and　son；　but　nearly　a　hundred　years　elapsed　before　England　took　advantage　of　this　claim　by　starting　the　Virginia　colony　near　the　mouth　of　the　Chesapeake　Bay　in　1607。　And　nearly　a　quarter　of　a　century　more　elapsed　before　Englishmen　settled　on　the　shores　of　Massachusetts　Bay。　Those　were　the　two　points　most　accessible　to　ships　and　most　favorable　for　settlement。　The　middle　ground　of　the　Delaware　and　Hudson　regions　was　not　so　easily　entered　and　remained　unoccupied。　The　mouth　of　the　Delaware　was　full　of　shoals　and　was　always　difficult　to　navigate。　The　natural　harbor　at　the　mouth　of　the　Hudson　was　excellent；　but　the　entrance　to　it　was　not　at　first　apparent。

Into　these　two　regions；　however；　the　Dutch　chanced　just　after　the　English　had　effected　the　settlement　of　Jamestown　in　Virginia。　The　Dutch　had　employed　an　Englishman　named　Henry　Hudson　and　sent　him　in　1609　in　a　small　ship　called　the　Half　Moon　to　find　a　passage　to　China　and　India　by　way　of　the　Arctic　Ocean。　Turned　back　by　the　ice　in　the　Arctic；　he　sailed　down　the　coast　of　North　America；　and　began　exploring　the　middle　ground　from　the　Virginia　settlement；　which　he　seems　to　have　known　about；　and；　working　cautiously　northward　along　the　coast　and　feeling　his　way　with　the　lead　line；　he　soon　entered　Delaware　Bay。　But　finding　it　very　difficult　of　navigation　he　departed　and；　proceeding　in　the　same　careful　way　up　along　the　coast　of　New　Jersey；　he　finally　entered　the　harbor　of　New　York　and　sailed　up　the　Hudson　far　enough　to　satisfy　himself　that　it　was　not　the　desired　course　to　China。

This　exploration　gave　the　Dutch　their　claim　to　the　Delaware　and　Hudson　regions。　But　though　it　was　worthless　as　against　the　English　right　by　discovery　of　the　Cabots；　the　Dutch　went　ahead　with　their　settlement；　established　their　headquarters　and　seat　of　government　on　Manhattan　Island；　where　New　York　stands　today；　and　exercised　as　much　jurisdiction　and　control　as　they　could　on　the　Delaware。

Their　explorations　of　the　Delaware；　feeling　their　way　up　it　with　small　light　draft　vessels　among　its　shoals　and　swift　tides；　their　travels　on　landshooting　wild　turkeys　on　the　site　of　the　present　busy　town　of　Chesterand　their　adventures　with　the　Indians　are　full　of　interest。　The　immense　quantities　of　wild　fowl　and　animal　and　bird　life　along　the　shores　astonished　them；　but　what　most　aroused　their　cupidity　was　the　enormous　supply　of　furs；　especially　beaver　and　otter；　that　could　be　obtained　from　the　Indians。　Furs　became　their　great；　in　fact；　their　only　interest　in　the　Delaware。　They　established　forts；　one　near　Cape　Henlopen　at　the　mouth　of　the　river；　calling　it　Fort　Oplandt；　and　another　far　up　the　river　on　the　Jersey　side　at　the　mouth　of　Timber　Creek；　nearly　opposite　the　present　site　of　Philadelphia；　and　this　they　called　Fort　Nassau。　Fort　Oplandt　was　destroyed　by　the　Indians　and　its　people　were　massacred。　Fort　Nassau　was　probably　occupied　only　at　intervals。　These　two　posts　were　built　mainly　to　assist　the　fur　trade；　and　any　attempts　at　real　settlement　were　slight　and　unsuccessful。

Meantime　about　the　year　1624　the　Swedes　heard　of　the　wonderful　opportunities　on　the　Delaware。　The　Swedish　monarch；　Gustavus　Adolphus；　a　man　of　broad　ambitions　and　energetic　mind；　heard　about　the　Delaware　from　Willem　Usselinx；　a　merchant　of　Antwerp　who　had　been　actively　interested　in　the　formation　of　the　Dutch　West　India　Company　to　trade　in　the　Dutch　possessions　in　America。　Having　quarreled　with　the　directors；　Usselinx　had　withdrawn　from　the　Netherlands　and　now　offered　his　services　to　Sweden。　The　Swedish　court；　nobles；　and　people；　all　became　enthusiastic　about　the　project　which　he　elaborated　for　a　great　commercial　company　to　trade　and　colonize　in　Asia；　Africa；　and　America。*　But　the　plan　was　dropped　because；　soon　after　1630；　Gustavus　Adolphus　led　his　country　to　intervene　on　the　side　of　the　Protestants　in　the　Thirty　Years'　War　in　Germany；　where　he　was　killed　three　years　later　at　　the　battle　of　Lutzen。　But　the　desire　aroused　by　Usselinx　for　a　　Swedish　colonial　empire　was　revived　in　the　reign　of　his　infant　　daughter；　Christina；　by　the　celebrated　Swedish　Chancellor；　Oxenstierna。


*　See　〃Willem　Usselinx；〃　by　J。　F。　Jameson　in　the　〃Papers　of　the　American　Historical　Association；〃　vol。　II。

An　expedition；　which　actually　reached　the　Delaware　in　1638；　was　sent　out　under　another　Dutch　renegade；　Peter　Minuit；　who　had　been　Governor　of　New　Netherland　and　after　being　dismissed　from　office　was　now　leading　this　Swedish　enterprise　to　occupy　part　of　the　territory　he　had　formerly　governed　for　the　Dutch。　His　two　ships　sailed　up　the　Delaware　and　with　good　judgment　landed　at　the　present　site　of　Wilmington。　At　that　point　a　creek　carrying　a　depth　of　over　fourteen　feet　for　ten　miles　from　its　mouth　flowed　into　the　Delaware。　The　Dutch　had　called　this　creek　Minquas；　after　the　tribe　of　Indians；　the　Swedes　named　it　the　Christina　after　their　infant　Queen；　and　in　modern　times　it　has　been　corrupted　into　Christiana。

They　sailed　about　two　and　a　half　miles　through　its　delta　marshes　to　some　rocks　which　formed　a　natural　wharf　and　which　still　stand　today　at　the　foot　of　Sixth　Street　in　Wilmington。　This　was　the　Plymouth　Rock　of　Delaware。　Level　land；　marshes；　and　meadows　lay　along　the　Christina；　the　remains　of　the　delta　which　the　stream　had　formed　in　the　past。　On　the　edge　of　the　delta　or　moorland；　rocky　hills　rose；　forming　the　edge　of　the　Piedmont；　and　out　of　them　from　the　north　flowed　a　fine　large　stream；　the　Brandywine；　which　fell　into　the　Christina　just　before　it　entered　the　Delaware。　Here　in　the　delta　their　engineer　laid　out　a　town；　called　Christinaham；　and　a　fort　behind　the　rocks　on　which　they　had　landed。　A　cove　in　the　Christina　made　a　snug　anchorage　for　their　ships；　out　of　the　way　of　the　tide。　They　then　bought　from　the　Indians　all　the　land　from　Cape　Henlopen　to　the　Falls　of　the　Delaware　at　Trenton；　calling　it　New　Sweden　and　the　Delaware　New　Swedeland　Stream。　The　people　of　Delaware　have　always　regarded　New　Sweden　as　the　beginning　of　their　State；　and　Peter　Minuit；　the　leader　of　this　Swedish　expedition；　always　stands　first　on　the　published　lists　of　their　governors。

On　their　arrival　in　the　river　in　the　spring　of　1638；　the　Swedes　found　no　evidences　of　permanent　Dutch　colonization。　Neither　Fort　Oplandt　nor　Fort　Nassau　was　then　occupied。　They　always　maintained　that　the　Dutch　had　abandoned　the　river；　and　that　it　was　therefore　open　to　the　Swedes　for　occupation；　especially　after　they　had　purchased　the　Indian　title。　It　was　certainly　true　that　the　Dutch　efforts　to　plant　colonies　in　that　region　had　failed；　and　since　the　last　attempt　by　De　Vries；　six　years　had　elapsed。　On　the　other　hand；　the　Dutch　contended　that　they　had　in　that　time　put　Fort　Nassau　in　repair；　although　they　had　not　occupied　it；　and　that　they　kept　a　few　persons　living　along　the　Jersey　shore　of　the　river；　possibly　the　remains　of　the　Nassau　colony；　to　watch　all　who　visited　it。　These　people　had　immediately　notified　the　Dutch　governor　Kieft　at　New　Amsterdam　of　the　arrival　of　the　Swedes；　and　he　promptly　issued　a　protest　against　the　intrusion。　But　his　protest　was　neither　very　strenuous　nor　was　it　followed　up　by　hostile　action；　for　Sweden　and　Holland　were　on　friendly　terms。　Sweden；　the　great　champion　of　Protestant　Europe；　had　intervened　in　the　Thirty　Years'　War　to　save　the　Protestants　of　Germany。　The　Dutch　had　just　finished　a　similar　desperate　war　of　eighty　years　for　freedom　from　the　papal　despotism　of　Spain。　Dutch　and　Swedes　had；　therefore；　every　reason　to　be　in　sympathy　with　each　other。　The　Swedes；　a　plain；　strong；　industrious　people；　as　William　Penn　aptly　called　them；　were　soon；　however；　seriously　interfering　with　the　Dutch　fur　trade　and　in　the　first　year；　it　is　said；　collected　thirty　thousand　skins