NEW JERSEY. The naine of one or vat original thirteen states of the United States of America.
2. The territory of which the state is composed was included within the patent granted by Charles . II. to his brother James, duke of York, bearing date on the 12th of March 1661. This grant com prised all the lands lying between the western side of Conueoticut river and the east side of Delaware bay, and conferred powers of government over the granted territory. At this time the province was in the possession and under the goveroment of Holland. Before the close of the year the inhabit ants of the province submitted to the government of England, on the 23d and 24th of June, 1664. The duke of York, by deeds of lease and release, conveyed to John Lord Berkely and Sir George Carteret, their heirs and assigns forever, " all that tract of land adjacent to New England and lying and being to the westward of Long Island and Manhitas Island, and bounded on the east part by the main sea, and part by Hudson river, and hath upon the west Delaware bay or river, and ex tendeth southward to the main ocean as far as Cape May at the mouth of Delaware hay, and to the northward as far as the northeremost branch of the said bag or river of Delaware, which is in 41 degrees and 40 minutes of latitude, and crosseth over thence in a straight line to Hudson's river in forty-one degrees of latitude: which said tract of land is hereafter to be called Nova CEesaria or New Jersey." 3. This grant first defined the boundaries and gave the name ef the province. It conferred upon the grantees, with the territory, powers of govern-. ment in as full and ample manner as they were conferred by the crown upon the duke of York. Lord Berkely and Sir George Carteret, being by virtue of this conveyance the sole proprietors of N ew Jersey, on the 10th of February, 164 signed.a constitution which they published under the title of " " The consessions and agreement of the lords propri etors of the province of Nova Caesaria or New Jersey , to and veith all and every of tbe adventures, and all such as shall settle or plant there." This docu ment, under the title of " The Consessiens," was regarded as the first constitution of New Jersey, and coutioned in force until the division of the province in 1676. The instrument was considered as irrevocable, and therefore of higher authority than the acts or assembly, which were subject to altera tion and repeal. War having been declared by
England against Holland in 1673, the Dutch were again in possession of the country, and tho inhabit ants submitted to their authority.
4. By the treaty of peace between England and Holland on the 9th of February, 1674, the country was restored to the possession of the English. On the conclusion of peace, in order to remove all grounds of objection to his title on account of the recapture of the country by the Dutch, the duke of York obtained from the crown a new patent, similar to the first, and dated on the 29th of June, 1674. On the 20th of July in the same year, the duke of York made a Becond grant of a portion of the province to Sir George Carteret individually. Tho partition which this patent was intended to 'Imre, in addition to the oonfirmation of Carteret'e grant, was accomplished hy deeds of partition executed July 1, 1676, between Carteret and the trustees of Byllinge. In 1702, the proprietors of the two provincee, called respectively Bast New Jersey and West New Jersey, eurrendered their powere of government to Queen Anne, etill retain ing their title to the land. The two divisions constituted thenceforth but one oolony. The col ony was governed hy a governor and council ap pointed by the crown, and an assembly of the representatives of the people chosen by the free holders. This form of government continued till the American revolution.
5. The first constitution of the Efate of New Jersey was adopted by the provisional congress on the second day of July, 1776. Thie body was composed of representatives from all the counties of the state, who were elected on the fourth Mon day of May, and convened at Burlington on the tenth day of June, 1776. It waa finally adopted on the second day of July, but was never Bub mitted to a popular vote. This constitution con tinued in force until the first day of September, 1844, when it was superseded by the existing con stitution. A new oonstitution was adopted May 14, 1844, by a convention compoeed of delegates elected by the people in pursuance of an act passed by the legielature. The oonstitution thus framed, having been submitted to and adopted by the people at au election held on the thirteenth day of Auguet, took effect and went into operation, pursu ant to one of its provisione, on the twenty-second of September, 1844.