THE HISTORY O F NEW-YORK. T CHA P. I. A Geographical Description of the Country. HE Province of New-York, at prefent, contains Long Island, Staten Island, and the Lands, on the East Side of Hudson's River, to the Bounds of Connecticut. From the Divifion Line between that Colony and the Maffachufets Bay, Northward, to the Line between us and the French, we claim an Extent to Connecticut River *. On the Weft Side of T CHAP. I. A Geographical Description of the C HE Province of New-York, at present. ten Island, and the Lands, on the Eaft Sirthe Bounds of Connecticut. From th Colony and the Massachufets Bay, Northward t French, we claim an Extent to Connectic nd t to unds . men it to be rown in grant any , under the he Crown, n the Charthereof to of this Pronted fuch a his Jurifdic on aforefaid inder which mittee find al of this Living fton in 1735. 1 the faid nd, withney being Opinion, ...ts upon tent under or upon any Province, hority, tend Hudfon's River from the Sea to the Latitude of 41° lies New-Jersey. The Line of Partition between that Province and this, from that Latitude to "any of the Rivers within thofe Limits extend; "and that they were actually poffefled of Con"necticut River, long before any other Euro"pean People knew any Thing of the Exiftence of fuch a River, and were not only poffeffed "of the Mouth of it, where they had a Fort and Garrifon, but difcovered the River above "a hundred Miles up, had their People trading "there, and purchased of the Natives almost "all the Lands on both Sides of the faid River. "2dly, That Governor Stuyvefant, the Dutch "Governor of the faid Province, by his Let"ter dated the 2d of September 1664, New "Stile, in Answer to a Letter from Governor "Richard Nicolls of the 20 Auguft preceding, "demanding the Surrender of all the Forts and Places of Strength poffeffed by the Dutch under his (Governor Stuyvefant's) Command, "writes as follows:-" Moreover it's without "Difpute, and acknowledged by all the World, that our Predeceffors by virtue of the Commiffion and Patent of the faid Lords the States "Generals, have without Controul, and peace"ably (the contrary never coming to our Knowledge) enjoyed Fort Orange about 48 or 50 Years; and Manhatans about 41 or 42 Years; the South River 40 Years, and the "Fresh River about 36 Years." Which laft "mentioned River, the Committee find to be "the fame, that is now called Connecticut River. 3dly, That the faid Dutch Governor Stuy"vefant did, in the Year 1664, furrender all the "Country, which the Dutch did then poffefs, to King Charles the Second, and that the "States General made a Ceffion thereof, by the "Treaty of Breda, in the Year 1667: that "the Dutch reconquered Part of this Province "in 1673, and furrendered and absolutely yield"ed it to King Charles the Second, in 1673 4, "by the Treaty of London; and that in the "Year 1674, King Charles granted to the Duke "of York, all the Land between Connecticut "River and Delaware Bay; the whole of these "Lands being Part of the former Colony of "New Netherland. the 4th, That the Duke of York in his feveral "Cominitions to Major Edmund Andros, on the 1st of July 1674, and to Governor Don gan on the 30th of September 1682, among "other Descriptions of the Boundaries of this "Province, mentions all the Land from the "Weft Side of Connecticut River to the Eaft "Side of Delaware Bay: that their Majefties King William and Queen Mary, by their "Commiffion, bearing Date the fourth Day of January, in the first Year of their Majesties Reign, appointed Henry Sloughter to be Governour of the Province of New-York, and "Territories depending thereon; the Bounda"ries whereof to Connecticut River, on the Eaft, "were notorious, by the Grant and other "Commiffions aforefaid, and many other Grants "and Commiffions relating to the fame. "5th, That the Committee apprehend Con"necticut River continued the Eaft Bounds of "this Province, until the 28th of March 1700, "when, by King William's Cenfirmation of an "Agreement between this Province and Con"necticut, the Western Bounds of that Colony "were fettled at twenty Miles from Hudjon's "River and they cannot find any other Alte"ration in the Eaftern Bounds of this Province, "and have no Reafon to believe any other was "made before, or fince, that Time. 6th, That King James the First, by Let"ters Patents bearing Date the 3d of November, "in the 18th Year of his Reign, granted unto "the Council of Plymouth, from forty to forty"eight Degrees of North Latitude inclufive, in "which there is a Recital to this Purpose."Now for as much as the King has been cer |