3aoIitlcaI Wistorp.--No 8.
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Prepared for the Tribuneb by EDwlN WILLIAMS


First Settlement Of the ColOnies Charters and forms Of


Government. IF the Ne'o England Colonies,


The settlement of the British Colonies in North
America was never pursued upon any regular plan :;
but they wsro formed, grew, and llourished, acc
dents, the nature Of the climate, the dispositions
of adventurors happened to operate. Thc New-En-
gland Colonies were settled under Charters granted
by the plymouth Council, ," company in England
whom King James |. in 1920 constituted by paten,
n council for the affairs of Ncw-England To this
company was entrusted the management of the
whole country between the 10th and 18th degrees
Of North latitude.


The following are the names of the first Colonies
and the date Of the earliest permanent settlements
therein: Plymouth 1920, New Hampshire 1923
Massachusetts Bay 1925 Connecticut 1856, New
Haven 1857, Rhode Island and Providence Plant
a,ions 1886, NcwYork (by the Dutch) 1914 New
Jersey (by the Dutch) 1923, Pennsylvania 1877,
Delaware (by the Dutch) 1851, (by the Swedes in
1696,) Maryland 1645, Virginia 1907, North Car
olina 1860, South Carolina 1870, Georgia 1882
The first six ofthcse were called the New. England
Colonies; the settlements in Maine, which were
commenced in 1880, being claimed ns under the
jurisdiction of Massachusetts. Maine was united
with that Colony under the Charter Of 1692, and
the union continued until Maine became an indie.
pendent State, in 1920. The Plymouth Colonists
obtained Charter in 1923, and another paten,
was taken ont in 1929, from the Company in En-
gland. under which their transactions subsequently,
were conducted, uutil they were united with Mas
sachusetts, in l692. The Plymouth Colony was
never Incorporated body polite by any royal
chatter although the settlers endeavorcd to obtain
one, and one promised by the King similar to
those granted TO other Colonies. Acting under
their Charter from the Company, such as it was,
the Colony existed independent voluntary as.
sooiaion for about seventy years, held together by
tho tacit consent 0. its members to recognize the
authority OF laws and submit TO the jurisdiction of
magistrates, framed and chosen bv themselves
Although they acknowledged their obligation to
obey the laws of England generally, and recognized
the King as their Sovereign their form of govern
Inent was pure, unmixcd aud perfect Democracy,
where all power was exercised BY the whole BODY
OF ireemcn or associates. The eniy magistrates
were the Governor and assistants. The Office of
Justice OF the Peace unknown. Trials were
had in the general coart, before ures selected from
the whole body OF the treemen OF the Colony. Al.
ter 1888 few laws only, and such as were Of the
mossu,gcnt necessity, were established The power
OF the Church in effect was superior to the civil
power, but In terms was confined to tae inhiciion
ct eensure only. Marriage was deemed civil con-
tract, and was solemnized by the civil magistrate,
ana not by the pastor or elder. The fundamental
axiom on which the Pilgrims reared their govern
neht was that the sovereign power resides with the,
people. In 1859 representative government wa :
es'aolshed, by the choice of deputies to General
Assembly from the different, ,owss in the Colony.
MS nrst Legislature OF Plymouth me, on The 9TH
of June, 1859.


Massachusetts was the second COLONY es,sb.
lshed in Nsw.England. although few se,,l,neD,. !.
were previously made in New,Hampshire; the
patent of the former granted by the Plymouth Col.
oay was dated in 1923, the latter in 1929. Dis.
contents on accoua. of religion still pyevailns !,
Eng!and an additional number of Puri,sas deter.
mined 10 seek en- asylum in the New World. The
arbitrary proceedings of the British Court, in sf
fairs both of Church and State Induced many
gentlemen of wealth and distinction 70 join the
company OF associates destined for Massachusetts
and remove TO New-England. John Endicots and
Others having formed settlemen, at Salem, We're
followed in l62s BY about fifteen hundred per-
sons, among whom were John Winthrop, Isaac
johnson, Thomas Dudley, aud Sir Richard Sal