equal to his ambition of possessing. Hence, while he had many valuable works, he had accumulated much mere trash. Few of the hundreds of bundles of unbound periodicals contained complete sets, and in three large boxes of scraps, cut from newspapers and tied in little rolls, there were hardly any that competent judges thought worth preserving. Still the clippings were bid off at $5.25. The assortment of books was decidedly miscellaneous, and, setting aside a few hundred volumes, eomparatively valueless. Mr. Shane died last spring, and his administrators put his collection into the hands of Mr. Hubbard for sale. So great was its disorder that it seemed almost impossible to cata. logue it, and the task was finally accomplished only by numbering a considerable part in lots. The cataloguethus arranged comprised 1,657 titles. The bidding was often very spirited, and the total amount realized was $2,404 69. The principal purchasers were L. C. Draper, for the Wisconsin Historical Society, Samuel Agnew, for the Presbyterian Historical Society at Philadelphia, S. G. Drake, of Boston. and E. T. Carson, of this city. We append a list of the prices of some of the more important works: Doddridge's Notes on the Indian War of West Virginia and Pennsylvania, $6.75; Drake's Picture of Cincinnati and the Miami Country, 1815, $5.25; Transactions of the Historical and Literary Committee of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. I, containing Heckwelder's Indian History, etc., $7.75. The American Magazine and Historical Chronicle, Vol. II, Boston, 1745, sold for $4. 10; Cist's Cincinnati Miscellany, 2 vols., sold for $2.60; Littell's Family Record of the First Settlers of the Pasaic, N. J., Valley, for $3.50. Twelve volumes of manscript historical collections, relating principally to the State of Kentucky, brought $69. Another collection of letters and manuscripts, relating to the early history of Cincinnati and vicinity, $39; the assessment lists of the town of Lexington, Kentucky, for several succeeding years, $425, Tanner's Societas Jesu Militans, and Apostolorum Imitatrix, realized $7.75 each. A small quarto, printed in London in 1648, and entitled A Survey of the Sum of Churah Discipline, wherein the way of the Congregational Churches in New England is warranted, brought $15 75. Rutherford's Divine Right of Church Goverment, London, 1646, brought $3.10. A Vindication of the Covenant and Church Estate of Children of Church Menbers, by Thomas Cobbet, Teacher of the Church of Lynn, in New England, sold for $7. Rich's three volumes of catalogues of books relating to America, sold for $32.40. The atrocious Democratic caricature representing Gen. Harrison in a cage, published by the Democrats in 1840, brought 50 cents. A Jackson Coffin Handbill, in English, was sold for 60, and one in German for 80 cents. A large number of

unassorted pamphlets, embracing sermons, addresses, school and college catalogues, lectures, etc., brought in the aggregate about $500.

HUBBARD'S INDIAN WARS. We are glad to announce that Mr. Drake will soon republish this valuable and interesting work, which has been so long out of print. Nothing can ever take the place of Mr. Hubbard's work on the early Indian Wars of New England; of this important fact no student in its history needs to be informed, and as to the competency of the editor for such a labor, his numerous works of a kindred character are the best and all the guaranty which can be required.

-At a late fire in New York, the manuscript of Mr. Charles G. Leland's work on "The origin of American Popular Phrases" was destroyed, and unfortunately the author kept no copy. The disaster to Mr. Leland is a real loss to our philological and humorous literature.

Mr. W. Elliot Woodward, of Roxbury, is about to issue in two volumes, uniform with Munsell's Historical Series, and from his press, the Original Documents of the Salem Witch Trials. It will form 2 vols., the number limited to 200, price $3,50 per volume, and 15 large paper copies, all the latter and many of the former being already taken up.

At the recent sale of the collection of Mr. W. E. Woodward, the following prices were reached: Cents.-1793, $27; 1793, $22; 1796, $25; 1796, $7; 1799, $32.50; 1804, $26; 1822, $9; 1842, $9.25; 1844, $8.75.

Half Cents -1796, $92.50; 1840, $14; 1841, $12; 1842, $10; 1843, $12.50, 1844, $12; 1845 $1.260, 1846, $15; 1847, $60; 1848, $13.50; 1854, $4.75.

All these were in a fine state of preservation. A small medal of Jackson sold at $16, and one of Clay $21.

The prices realized for some of the Colonial pieces are as follows:

New-England shilling, $17; Granby copper, $60; do., do., $62.50; Virginia penny, $12; Virginia shilling, $255; Continental currency 1776, in brass, $40; Annapolis. three pence, $16; do. sixpence, $12.50; New York doubloon, 1787, $400; New-York cent, 1787, $21; New-York cent, 1787, $47.50; New-York cent, 1787, $73; Gold Eagle, 1797, $40; do. 1804, $40.50; Half Eagle, 1825, $41; do. 1826, $25; do. 1827, $39; do. 1831, $40; Quarter-Eagle, 1806, $35; one of 1826, $29; Silver Dollar (flying eagle) of 1836, $60; one of 1838, $34.50; one of 1839, $38; Half Dollar of 1838, one of 1839, $55; one of 1861, $25, Quater-Dollar of 1838, $26,

T

that

HESE are in his Majties name to Will & Require you to forwarne & forbid all fons in yor Bayliwick to go on board ye Ship Jacob Wm Maffon Comandr & you forthwth Cause good & true Watch to be kept that no fon goes aboard of him may pilote him through helgate & if any plon refufe to obey you that him or them you feize & bring before me to answer for their Contempt. Given under my hand & feale this 30 8ber in ye Second Year of their Majties Reigne 1690.

wch

VOL. VIII.]

General Department.

LEISLER'S SEAL.

The accompanying document is copied from the original, in the New York Colonial Documents, vol. 36, p. 124, in the of fice of the secretary of state at Albany.

It has affixed to it, in the margin, the seal in red wax, a copy of which we now reproduce.

As this seal occupies the place usual with those of the privy seals of the provincial governors before the Revolution, it is supposed to be that used by Lieut. Gov. Leisler, to his official papers, of which we have not till now seen an impression.

ADDRESS OF COL. J. ROSS SNOWDEN AT THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF DELAWARE.

The high rank and value of history is obvious to every reflecting mind. Its main object is to preserve the memorials of the past; not merely to amuse but to instruct.

My colleagues and myself have come here, on your invitation, to witness an event of the highest interest and importance, namely, the organization of an Historical Society for the State of Delaware; the object of which is "to elucidate the Natural, Civil, and Literary History of this State." These words I quote from the Constitution of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, which we represent; and it is interesting to note that this Society, at an early meeting after its organization, resolved that though the

HIST. MAG. VOL. VIII.

49

[No. 13.

History of Pennsylvania be the principal object of the labors of the Society, it does not exclude other branches of History.

The history of the States of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey, whose shores are watered by the Delaware, are so intimately connected, that they cannot well be separately considered. These States are all comparatively of modern date. It is only a little more than a century and a half ago that a writer, who was one of the early pioneers in the settlement of the Delaware, designated the city from whence my colleagues and myself come, as "a clever little town." He was one of that race of honest, faithful, industrious and pious men who

first settled on the western shores of the Delaware, then the home of the redman and of the beasts of the forest. But what a change since the excellent Mr. Rudman wrote those words! The clever little town has grown into a great metropolis with more than 600,000 inhabitants; and the village of Christinaham has become the beautiful and populous city of Wilmington. Such a progress is perhaps unparalleled in the history of any country.

Authors generally divide History into three great periods. 1. Ancient History, embracing the lapse of time from the first records of mankind to the destruction of the Roman Empire, A. D. 476. 2. The history of the Middle Ages, namely, from the last mentioned event to the discovery of America, A. D. 1492. 3. Modern History, from 1492 to the present time. Whilst this long line of investigation and inquiry is open to our historical investigation, our chief duty is to preserve our own history from the time when this Continent was discovered by the European Nations, and especially from the time when our ancestors and predecessors

first made settlements upon the banks of the Delaware.

Our history as Pennsylvanians and Delawarians may with some propriety be divided into three periods.

I. From the discovery of America to the time when the first actual settlements were made upon this river. If we take the Dutch Fort Nassau on the Jersey side as the first settlement, the date may be put at A. D. 1624. It seems quite as appropriate for us to fix upon the time when the Swedish Colony planted itself permanently on the banks of the Christina in 1638. It is here interesting to note that in 1624 or 1626, authorities do not agree upon the date, confirmed however by the Diet of 1627, Gustavus Adolphus, the lion-hearted. King of Sweden, and "bulwark of the Protestant faith," adopted measures for the settlement of the west side of the Delaware. The charter granted to the company is dated Jan. 14, 1626. But they failed to be carried into effect in consequence of the wars in Europe, in which the King was engaged; and his subsequent death in the battle of Lutzen in 1632. The enterprise was, however, accomplished under the auspices of his infant daughter, Queen Christina, a few years later, namely, in 1638, as already

stated.

II. The second term may properly include the period from the first settlement of the Delaware to the year 1776, when the Colonies were declared free and independent States.

Connected with this Colonial period in our history there are some points involved in doubt; one of which is, whether at the time the Swedes arrived here the Dutch had actual pedis possessio of the Delaware or its shores. The Dutch Commander, Cornelius Mey, was the first European that sailed up the Delaware; and he continued his progress as far as Gloucester Point on the east side of the river, a few miles below the site of Philadelphia. He landed near the mouth of Timber Creek, called Sassack on by the Indians, and built a log fort which he named Nassau, with a view to establish a fortified place to open trade with the Indians. The date of this transaction is

differently stated by writers on the subject. Mr. Hazard, in his Annals of Penn, puts it in the year 1623; but he cites authorities, some of whom state that the Fort in question was built in 1624, and others that possession of the Delaware was taken in 1626, by the erection of two strong-holds on the river, the largest about sixteen miles (Dutch) up the river on the eastern shore called Nassau. He cites the testimony of an Indian Chief, "that a skipper named Cornelis, with one eye, or having a film on the eye, was the first who established himself on the Delaware, or South River."

How long this Fort was occupied, and when it was abandoned, does not appear in the authorities I have consulted. It therefore seems to be a mooted question whether the Dutch had not abandoned the Delaware or South River, and fixed their settlements upon the Hudson or North River, before the arrival of the Swedes.

I pass over the purchase made at the Island of Manhattan by the Heer Samuel Godyn in 1630 from the natives, of lands on the west side of the South River, because no possession appears to have been taken under the alleged grant, except, perhaps, the expedition of De Vries, in 1631, of which it is said that before the next year "he found the house destroyed."

The purchase of Arent Corssen in 1663 of the Schuylkill and adjoining lands," had a convenient vagueness about it, but it resulted only in establishing a Beaver trade with the wild Indians. These Indians seemed not only willing to sell the lands over which they roamed, but would sell the same territory again whenever they found purchasers. The Iroquois, or the six Nations, whose council fire was at Onondaga, denied the right of the Delaware Indians, to sell any land. They claimed that the latter were tributary and subordinate to them. It is probable that the disputes as to the title or right to sell rendered it not difficult to procure a grant from the Indians.

The unfortunate settlement already referred to, appears to have been made by Captain De Vries, under the authority of the Dutch West India Company, near Cape Henlopen, called Hoornkill, now the site