CADWALLADER COLDEN A REPRESENTATIVE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY OFFICIAL BY ALICE MAPELSDEN KEYS, Ph.D. Neirt ^axk THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, AGENTS LONDON: MACMILLAN & CO., Ltd. 1906 All rights reserved Copyright, 1906, By the MACMILLAN COMPANY. Set up and electrotyped. Published October, 1906. Norfaooti PrrgB J. 8. Gushing & Co. — Berwick & Smith Co. Jforwood, Mass., U.S.A. F r The monograph which Miss Keys has prepared on Cadwallader Colden, and which is now published, is distinctly an original con- tribution to the history of New York in the eighteenth century. It has been written almost wholly from first-hand sources, and of those a large part still exist only in manuscript. It throws light on a period of history hitherto little studied and imperfectly under- stood. Its aim is neither wholly historical nor wholly biographical, but is rather a combination of the two. It is the study of a long official career considered as an illustration of the political and social system which then existed in one of the leading provinces of America. HERBERT L. OSGOOD. 308 V PREFACE It would be idle to affirm that patriotism depends on knowledge, or even on tradition ; it would be equally idle to deny that a sense of kinship with a country's past, springing from at least a general familiarity with its development, and sustained by many visible reminders of its history, has much to do with the making of good citizens. Surely, in the face of much contrary evidence, England's storied cities have had a large share in forming the character of her people ; while here in America, despite political corruption and social frivol- ity, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts stand for the ideas for which their fathers fought to an extent perhaps impossible were not the old houses and halls in which these men lived and spoke still so full of their spirit. It must therefore be regretted that New York has so few landmarks, and that, perhaps for this reason, so little is known of the men and women who made her history in the century that elapsed between Father Knickerbocker's nominal departure and the Revolution. Too cosmopolitan even then to produce a type, that fact in itself is a link with the present, and it was in the hope of suggesting that there are many more such links that this sketch of one of the predominant characters of this middle period was undertaken. So far as possible the four phases of his life here considered have been treated indepen- dently of each other, the detailed account of his work as surveyor-general, for instance, being quite unnecessary to an understanding of his career. viii Preface With the exception of the printed authorities mentioned in the text, the materials for these pages have been found in the manuscript collection known as the Golden Papers, and owned by the New York Historical Society. The courtesy of the society in permitting their use is hereby gratefully acknowledged, thanks being also due, in an especial manner, to Professor H. L. Osgood, of Columbia University, without whose invaluable suggestions and advice this study could not have been completed. CONTENTS A COLONIAL SAVANT PAGES Colden's education in Scotland — Settlement in Philadelphia — Removal to New York — "The Five Indian Nations" — His correspondents — Peter Collinson — John Bartram — John Rutherford — Benjamin Franklin — "An Explanation of the First Causes of Action in Matter, etc." — Attempts at mechanical invention — A botanical success — Views on education — A practical achievement — Other accomplishments . 1-26 A COLONIAL SURVEYOR GENERAL Colden appointed surveyor general of New York — Condition of the land records — Land policy of the proprietary governors — The great grants of Dongan and Fletcher — Bellomont's restrictive policy — Free subdivision under Governors Nanfan and Corn- bury — Instructions to Lovelace — Colden's early surveys — His struggle for accuracy — His memorial to the home government — His opposition to the partition acts — A second memorial — Its results — The Connecticut boundary — Colden's part in the settlement of 1725 — The Oblong — Governor Cosby's hunger for land — Letters from Daniel Horsmanden — Colden's memorial to Cosby — More letters from Horsmanden — Cosby's illness and death — Statesmanlike schemes of Lieutenant-Governor Clarke — Protection of Indian rights — Casual correspondents — Colden's carelessness in settling the Oblong account — Interval in land speculation caused by King George's War — Colden's commission granted for life — Governor Clinton's suspicions of Colden's good faith — His growing interest in land — Character- istic letters — Effects of the last French War — Delancey's proc- lamation — Colden's land policy as chief magistrate — Difficulty with New Hampshire — The "Hampshire grants" — Inconsist- Contents PAGES ency of the instructions — Trouble with Sir William Johnson — Colden's suggestions incorporated in a new partition act — Criti- cism of his disinterestedness by the Board of Trade — His de- fence — The council's representations on the disputed boundaries and Colden's reply — Confusion caused by grants made in Eng- land — The government's request for a report on official fees — Colden's resentment of the insinuation — His conviction of the cause of land abuses — Examples — His trouble with the Holland syndicate — Van Rensselaer's patent — The " Hampshire grants " again 27-105 A COLONIAL POLITICIAN I Colden's political d^but — His challenge to the landed interest and its effect — Governor Burnet's Indian policy — Colden's coopera- tion — Opposition of the merchants and its defeat — Foundation of Oswego — Unpopularity of Burnet and Colden — Stephen Delancey — Burnet's transfer to Boston and Colden's retirement to the country — Advance of the popular party during the admin- istration of Governor Montgomerie — Colden coquets with politics — Governor Cosby — Daniel Horsmanden — Colden's threatened suspension — George Clarke lieutenant-governor — His relations with Colden 106-131 n Governor Clinton — His character — His submission to Delancey — King George's War — The assembly's indifference — Capture of Louisburg — New assembly — Colden on Indian affairs — Clin- ton's break with Delancey — Canadian expedition — Colden be- comes Clinton's prime minister — His task — Indian conference and rendezvous of colonial forces at Albany — Clinton com- mander-in-chief — Winter plans — Return of Colden and Clinton to New York 132-149 III Colden's opportunity — Clinton's speech to the assembly — Its effect — Report of the seizure of provisions at Albany — The assem- 5 Contents xi PAGES bly's action — Colden's failure to read the situation — The coun- cil's attack on Colden — His departure for Coldengham — The council's charges — Colden's defence — Letters from Kennedy and Rutherford — Military affairs — Recall of Colden . 1 50-166 IV The assembly's resentment at Colden's recall — Colden's vindication of Clinton — The assembly's reply — Mutiny of the volunteers — Clinton's departure for Albany — The ministry's silence — Letters from Colden — Clinton's difficulties 166-176 V Return of Clinton and Colden to New York — Colden's tactics — The administration's proposition for the fall campaign — The assem- bly's demand for details — Its refusal — Destruction of Fort CHnton — The Indians — Clinton's demand — Its evasion — His peremptory speech — Assembly dramatics — Two points of view — Confused policy of the ministry — Dissolution of the assembly — Colden's position — His return to Coldengham . 176-193 VI An election campaign — Political literature — Clinton's helplessness — His suspicions — James Delancey lieutenant-governor — Clin- ton's attempt to be his own prime minister — James Alexander — The assembly's advantage — Colden again recalled . 193-206 VII Indian conference at Albany — Sympathy between Governor Shirley and Colden — Shirley's report on the province of New York — Prestige of the Delanceys — Mrs. Clinton — Colden returns to New York on Shirley's suggestion — Clinton's dread of the result — Affair of the prisoners — Wrangling of governor and assembly — Delancey's attack on Colden — Colden's defence and departure 206-2 from town 1 VIII Continued silence of the ministry — Importunities of Colden and Clinton — Clinton's fears — Colden's refusal to come to New xii Contents PAGES York — His proposition for the conduct of Indian affairs — Oliver Delancey's escapades — Colden's continued refusal to come to town — Prorogation of the assembly 215-224 IX Colden's return and the assembly — The administration's sensible demands obscured by bitter quibbling on parliamentary proced- ure — The session resolved into a personal controversy — The governor's financial position — Colden's description of the situa- tion to Shirley — Clinton's new friends — Chief Justice Morris — Memorial to England — Excitement over the excise bill — Con- fusion of parties — Bedford's oracular approval — The episode of the Greyhound ........ 224-241 Colden's refusal to meet a new assembly — Clinton suspects Colden of sarcasm — Alexander as peacemaker — The Board of Trade's report on New York — Inter-colonial Indian conference at Albany — Colden's "State of Indian Affairs" — Another new assembly — Colden's disgust at Clinton's vacillation — The ministry's de- cision to uphold prerogative in New York — Arrival of Sir Danvers Osborne — His death — Delancey's succession and Clinton's retirement 242-259 A COLONIAL EXECUTIVE I Colden succeeds Delancey — French and Indian War — Social changes during Colden's retirement — Colden's