settlement on the eastern bank; and, shortly after, there arose a conflict between the Swedes and the English with respect to titles. The former united with the Dutch, and drove the English from the country. The Swedes then erected a fort on the spot that had been held by the English, which commanded the river. They claimed and exercised authority over all vessels that entered, including those of the Dutch. Until 1655, the Swedes held both sides of the Delaware; solely, however, under the right of occupancy. At this time, Stuyvesant, the governor of New Netherlands, by the aid of forces sent to him from Holland, compelled the Swedes on the Delaware to surrender; and the officers and principal people were taken to New Amsterdam as prisoners. The Dutch then held the whole territory, now comprising the states of New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. The English, however, continued to claim the country, under the title of discovery; and an expedition was sent to New Amsterdam in 1664, which demanded from Governor Stuyvesant a surrender of the country; and, being in a defenceless condition, he yielded. The expedition then went to the Delaware, and effected a submission of the people, which completed the English title of occupancy. The grant of Charles II., in 1664, to the Duke of York, embraced the whole territory from Nova Scotia to the east side of the Delaware bay. In the same year, the Duke of York sold and conveyed to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, all the land lying between the Hudson and Delaware rivers, under the name of New Cesaria. The name New Jersey was subsequently given to it in compliment to

Carteret, who had defended the island of Jersey, during the civil war, against the Long Parliament. Emigration was encouraged, and the proprietors granted a constitution, securing to the people liberty of conscience and equal rights. In 1673, the Dutch invaded the English provinces; and Captain Manning, then in authority, surrendered New York without making any defence. Subsequently, he was tried by a court-martial, and found guilty upon his own confession. The sentence was- 'Though he deserved death, yet, because he had, since the surrender, been in England, and had seen the king and the duke, it was adjudged that his sword should be broken over his head in public." In the year 1674, the English retook the possessions from the Dutch. The proprietors of New Jersey, about this time, divided their interests; and West New Jersey came under the management of the Quakers, who divided the lands between purchasers. East New Jersey had about 5,000 inhabitants in 1680; and its government was located at Elizabeth Town. In 1702, the two provinces, East and West New Jersey, were, as to government, surrendered to Queen Anne; and from thence they were united. The queen appointed a governor for New York and New Jersey, jointly, in 1703. The two provinces, New York and New Jersey, continued under the one governorship, but with separate assemblies, until 1738, when the queen appointed a governor for each. At the commencement of the revolutionary period, New Jersey was among the foremost to resist the British oppression; and during that memorable struggle, the state performed her part well.

The northern part of New Jersey is mountainous; but upon the sea coast, quite level. The central section consists of plains, with a few small hills. The railways and canals traverse the state in different directions. The gradients of the former are but nominal; and the latter require but few locks and dams. The products of the state are wheat, rye, oats, hay, Indian corn, barley, a great variety of fruits, and garden products. The people of this state have facilities for carrying the yield of the land, every hour of the day, to Philadelphia and New York markets. It has but little timber, except in the mountains, or northern section.

The first constitution of this state was adopted on the 2nd of July, 1776, by "the representatives of the colony of New Jersey, having been elected by all the counties in the freest manner, and in Congress assembled." And it was conditioned in that instrument thus:-"It is the true intent and meaning of this Congress, that, if a reconciliation between Great Britain and these colonies should take place, and the latter be again taken under protection and government of Great Britain, this charter shall be null and void, otherwise to remain firm and inviolable." This assemblage of delegates of the state was called a "Congress." Two days after the formation of the constitution, the Congress of the United States, some twenty miles distant, at Philadelphia, adopted the declaration of independence.

In 1844, a convention of this state revised the constitution of 1776. The powers of the government are divided into three distinct departments-the legislative, executive,

and judicial. The first is vested in a senate and general assembly. The senate is composed of twenty-one members, being one senator from each county in the state; elected for a term of three years, one-third of whom retire each year. The general assembly is composed of representatives based upon apportionment, though the number cannot exceed sixty. The governor is elected for a term of three years. The judicial powers are vested in a Court of Errors and Appeals; a court for the trial of impeachments; a Court of Chancery; a Prerogative Court; a Supreme Court; circuit and such inferior courts as may be authorised by the legislature. Every white male citizen of the United States, of the age of twenty-one, and resident of the state one year, is a voter.

DELAWARE.

In 1610, Lord De La War, governor of Virginia, entered the Delaware bay. In 1637, a colony of Swedes and Finns came to America, and settled at Cape Henlopen, which they called "Paradise Point." They bought from the natives the lands desired, and called the country "New Sweden." They located, principally, at the mouth of Christiana Creek, near Wilmington. These people had many difficulties with the Dutch and English, both of whom claimed the right of government. In 1674, Charles II. granted to his brother, the Duke of York, the country called New Netherlands, which included the lands occupied by the Swedes. In 1683, the duke sold to William Penn the whole of the Delaware country; and it was called the "Three Lower Countries." These "countries"

were governed as a part of Pennsylvania, until 1703, when they became independent by consent, and formed a separate assembly, though under the Penn proprietorship. In 1776, Delaware was organised into a state, and thereafter shared in the revolutionary contest. The area of the state is 2,120 square miles, and, next to Rhode Island, is the smallest of the Union, comprehending about one-third of the surface of the north-eastern portion of the peninsula which lies to the east of Chesapeake Bay. The coast is low and sandy, and has no natural harbour, except at the northern extremity, along the banks of the river from which the state derives it name. In order to form a serviceable harbour, a breakwater was constructed by the Federal government, opposite the village of Lewistown, and above Cape Henlopen, at a cost of nearly 3,000,000 of dollars.

The state of Delaware is comparatively level. The soil, in the northern and central sections, is good, and profitably cultivated; near the sea it is sandy, and, to a very great extent, subject to tidal overflow. The products are Indian corn, wheat, rye, oats, &c. The fruits of this state are greatly in demand. There are but few woodlands. The railways and canals traverse the state, affording the fullest required facility for commercial transit.

The constitution of Delaware was formed in 1792, and amended in 1831. The powers of government are vested in the legislative, executive, and judicial departments. The first is styled the "General Assembly," and consists of a senate and House of Representatives. The legislature meets biennially. The senate is composed of nine