litstory and date of the first settlement is not certainly known. Dutch traders are believed to have occupied Bergen point between 1614 and 1620. On the e. hank of the Delaware a party„of Dutch under Cornelis Jacobson Mey and Adriaen Jarisz built a fort 4 m. below Philadelphia in 1623, and called it fort Nassau. The king of England, in 1634, granted the whole region along the Delaware to sir Edward l'loyden under the name of New Albion, and in 1638 Swedes and Finns purchased lands of the natives and settled on the river. The Dutch and Swedes prevented the English from getting a foothold, however, until 1655, when Peter Stnyvesant from New Amsterdam (New 'York) drove out the Swedes, or forced them to acknowledge Dutch rule. In 1664 Charles II. assumed sole jurisdiction, and granted all the country between the Delaware and Connecticut rivers to his brother, the duke of York, who took possession of New Amsterdam with a force sent out under col. Richard Nichols, who soon after made land grants w. of New York bay to colonists from New England, who began the settle ments at Newark, Elizabeth, Middletown, and Shrewsbury. The next year the duke of York assigned his grant to lord Berkeley and sir George Carteret, who named the region New Jersey in compliment to the isle of Jersey, where Carteret had been the king's governor. Elizabeth was made the seat of government in 1665, and Philip Carteret was the first governor of New Jersey. He was not liked, and had trouble with the colonists about land rents. He went to England in 1670, returned soon afterwards, and con tinued governor till 1674, when the Dutch recaptured New Amsterdam, and the adja cent country fell into their hands. But Great Britain regained possession by treaty the same year. The conflicting claims of grantees of lands from Nichols and from Carteret were settled by the king, who confirmed all grants to his brother and Carteret. But the duke had made a conveyance to sir Edmund Andros, governor of New York, who assumed the power to control the government in New Jersey also; and in April, 1680, imprisoned Carteret. The duke of York interceded in behalf of the grantees under Nichols and New Jersey's governor, and in 1681 they were settled in their rights. In the meantime (1673) William Penn with other Quakers had bought Berkeley's interest in New Jersey, and in 1675 had established a Quaker settlement at Salem, in the southern part of the state. One Fenwick seems to have exercised jurisdiction in s. New Jersey after the settlement at Salem, up to a line drawn from Little Egg Harbor to lat. 41° on the Delaware, while all of Jersey n.e. of that line remained under the gubernatorial rights of Carteret. In Feb., 1682, William Penn and 11 other friends purchased the whole territory. In 1668 a legislative assembly had convened at Elizabeth, and passed criminal laws of excessive severity. Another was convened in 1675. Hobert Barclay, a Scotchmau, one of the associate purchasers, was the first governor under the new own ership in 1682. Respect for the rights of the settlers and a peaceful and wise adminis tration gave New Jersey 20 years of prosperity. But the company-proprietorship of so large a country was found to have such disadvantages that in 1702 the proprietary rights of the purchasers were ceded back to the crown, and the same year queen Anne appointed lord Cornbury governor of New York and New Jersey; but each colony con tinued to have its separate assembly. In 1708, on the petition of the colony to have a separate administration, Lewis Morris was made governor of New Jersey, which then had a population of 40,000. The growth of New Jersey was peaceful until the begin ning of the revolution. The last royal governor was William Franklin, son of Benjamin Franklin, who was appointed in 1763, and was noted as a bitter tory. New Jersey, through her legislature, entered cordially into the measures for the defense of colonial rights against the oppressive legislation of the mother country, and on Jnly 2, 1776, anticipating the declaration of independence by the continental congress, adopted a stale constitution, which was ratified on the 18th, and which continued as the organic law until 1844. when another was adopted. On June 25, 1776, governor Wm. Franklin, who had set himself against the action of the legislature, was deposed, placed under guard, and sent to Connecticut a prisoner. William Livingston was elected governor Aug. 13, 1776, and re-elected for 14 years. The important battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Mon mouth are historical mementoes of New Jersey's part in the war for independence. Her position in the center of the confederacy made her soil the principal theater of war. Trenton was made the state capital in 1790. The constitution of 1776, which was super seded by another Aug. 13, 1844, was again materially modified by a commission of 14 in 1873, whose work was approved by the legislature in 1874, and again in 1875, and rati fied by the people by an immense majority ,the latter year at a special election. The following is a list of New Jersey's governors since the state organization: William Living ston, 1776-90; William Patterson, 1790-94; Richard Howell, 1794-1801; Joseph Bloom field, 1801-12; Aaron Ogden, 1812-13; William S. Pennington, 1813-15; Mahlon Dick erson, 1815-17; Isaac H. Williamson, 1817-29; Peter D. Vroom, 1829-32; Samuel L. Southard, 1832-33; Elias I'. Seeley, 1833; Peter D. `room, 1833-36; Philemon Dicker son. 1836-37; William Pennington, 1837-43; Daniel Baines, 1843-44; Charles S. Stratton, 1814 18; Daniel Haines, 1848-51; George T. Fort, 1851-54; Rodman M. Price, 1854-57; 'William A. Newell, 1857-60; Charles S. Olden, 1860-63; Joel Parker, 1863-66; Marcus L. Ward, 1866-69; Theodore F. Randolph, 1869-72; Joel Parker, 1872-75; Joseph D. Bedle, 1875-77; George B.'McClellan, 1877-81; George C. Ludlow, 1881. The legisla tive assembly consists of a senate and a general assembly. One senator is elected from each county for three years, making 21 members. The assembly is limited by law to 60 members. elected annually, and represents districts apportioned by popula
tion after each national census. The governor for years. The treasurer and comptroller are elected by the legislature for three years. The attorney-general, secretary of state, superintendent of schools, prosecuting officers, and clerk of the supreme court are appointed by the governor, subject to the approval of the senate.
Judielary.—The distinction between courts of law and courts of equity is still main tained in New Jersey. All judges are appointed by the governor for a term of six years, subject to confirmation by the senate. The first, or lower courts, are the county courts of common pleas and over and terminer, consisting of not more than five judges; an orphan's court, and court of general quarter sessions of the peace. Next above is the supreme court, which makes the circuit of the state, and is composed of a chief-justice, and four associates. A prerozative court is presided over by the chancellor alone. The, court of errors and'appcals in thelast resort is composed of the chancellor, the justices of the supreme court, and six judges. The pardoning power is vested in the chancellor, judges, and the governor; but is not exercised without the sanction of the governor.
Charitable Institutions.—There is a state board of charities, a part of whose duties is to visit the state institutions, those of the counties, and private incorporate benevolences. Care and instruction to the deaf and dumb is provided out of the state at New York and Buffalo at the state institutions of New York, for which in 1876 $25,000 was paid. The blind are taken care of in New York and Pennsylvania institutions at a cost of about $14,000 per annum. Idiocy and insanity are greatly on the increase. The total number of insane, idiots, and epileptics for 1878 was 9,501: mortality among them, 705. Idiots and the feeble-minded are sent to the training school at Media, Penn., at an annual cost of about $8,000. The home for disabled soldiers is maintained at an annual cost of from $40,000 to $50,000. The home for soldiers' children, formerly maintained, has been closed, after having executed its trust in educating and providing homes for them, An act for the establishment of orphan asylums was enacted 1677, providing that any five or more persons may form themselves into an orphan-asylum association for the purpose of receiving, supporting, and educating orphan children, under such name as they may choose, after being duly incorporated under the further provisions of the act. Such private associations are believed to be a more efficient means of providing for the orphans in each locality than state institutions. An industrial school for girls at Trenton is maintained by the state. A state reform school for juvenile delinquents is located at Jamesbnrg in Middlesex co., on a farm of 490 acres, where the boys are employed at farm labor and taught a few trades. The old state lunatic asylum is at Trenton. The number of patients in 1877 was 510 and its expenses the same year $37,807. The state pays $1 per week for every county patient in addition to what each country is obliged to pay for those it sends. The institution derives a revenue from the care of private patients who are sent. to it. The new asylum for the insane at Morris town is one of the finest structures for the purpose in the country, having recently been finished at a cost of about $650,000. It will accommodate 800 patients. In 1877 it maintained 445, at a cost of $20,441. The financial condition of the charitable institutions reported in 1879 is as follows: Valuation of real property $28,415,509 Valuation of personal property. 5,561,253 Total . $33,976,762 Receipts—Cash balance from preceding year 448,809.44 Received from the state ...... 1.047,969.36 Received from 3,510,217.16 Voluntary donation.... 793,337.02 From all other sources 2,109,457.74 Total $7,009,701.22 Expenditures for buildings and improvements 820,778.67 For supervision and maintenance 6,587,975.04 Total .. .$7,404,753.71 Charity institutions, credit balance, 1879............. ........... $501,037.51 The state prison is at Trenton. Its average number of convicts is 815. The earnings and income of 1877 amounted to $75,611; the- expenditures to $123,148. The earnings of the convicts exceeded the expense of their keeping that year by $12,129. In 1879 the legislature appointed a special committee to prepare a report on the questions of prison labor and its relation to other labor, which it is supposed will be the basis of the future prison policy of the state.
Finances.—The outstanding debt of the war loan, originally about $2,500,000, was reduced by 1878 to $2,196,300; $100,000 is required to be paid annually. Of this, the sinking fund, which has increased to $1,458,852, pays $10,000 per annum, besides pay ing the interest on the entire debt; leaving $90,000 to be raised annually by taxes. In a few years the sinking fund will pay the whole annual reduction required. All the state's debt was paid off in 1878, leaving a balance in the treasury of $120,000. The general fund state tax is one mill on the dollar valuation; the school tax, two mills on the dollar.. The s,tstp,taxys county, taxes„ and the municipal taxes of many It will be seen that NewJersey cast her electoral votes for presidents Washington and John Adams; against Jefferson for his first term in 1800, and for him the second in 1804; for Madison's first term in 1808, and against his second in 1812; for James Mon roe both terms, 1816-20; against John Quincy Adams in 1824, when he was elected, and for him in 1828, when Andrew .Jackson was elected; for Jackson's second term in 1832; against Van Blinn in 1836, when he' was .elected, and for bim in 1840. when Harrison was elected; against Polk in 1844; successively for the presidents-elect Pierce, Buchanan, and Lincoln, in '52, '56, and '60; against Lincoln's second term; against Grant in '63, and for him in '72; against Hayes in '76; and against Garfield in '80.