who were in the magistracy, at Philadelphia, for having executed the penal laws against malefactors, alleging that it was inconsistent with their tenets; and he charged some of their most approved preachers with false doctrine. Such a violent controversy was thus awakened that, on the 20th of April, 1692, at a Meeting in Philadelphia, a "Declaration" was drawn up against him, wherein both he and his conduct were publicly disowned. This "Declaration" was confirmed at the "General Yearly Meeting," held in Burlington, on the 7th of July following. Mr. Keith drew off a large number with him, and set up separate meetings in various places. His adherents called themselves Christian Quakers-but they were generally called Keithians. Proud's History, Vol. I, pp. 363-7. OFFICERS OF THE TOWN. "By vertue of an Act of Assembly, formed and contrived for the Government of this Town of Burlington at a Sessions held in the said Town the 3d of October 1693 the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the said Town being Convened and Assembled the 5th day of April 1694 in pursuance of the Powers and Priviledges Granted unto them in and by the said Act and in conformity to the same due regard being had to ye Qualification of the Electors as prescribed and Limitted by the said Act Did Choose & Elect these officers following: “Richard Basnet, Burgesse, or Chief Magistrate for yo town of Burlington. "John Tatham, Recorder. "George Hutcheson, Treasurer. James Marshall) Councellors. James Hill, Town Clerk. "The Quakers," says Bishop Burnet, in his History of the Church, (Vol. II) "have had a great_breach ́ made among them by one George Keith, a Scotchman, with whom I had my education at Aberdeen; he was esteemed the most learned man that ever was in that sect; he was well versed both in the Oriental tongues, in Philosophy, and Mathematics. After he had been above thirty years in high esteem among them, he was sent to Pennsylvania to have the chief direction of their youth. In those parts, he said he first discovered that which had been always denied to him, or so disguised that he did not suspect it; it appeared to him that they were Deists, and that they turned the whole doctrine of the Christian Religion into allegories; chiefly those which relate to the death and resurrection of Christ, and the reconciliation of sinners to God by virtue of his Cross; he, being a true Christian, set himself with great zeal against this." "Bernard Devonish, Serjeant Clerk of the Market Cryer of the Town and Officer to view the Assise of Bread & Lqiuors & to supervise and Examine Weights and Measures. "Then it was Ordered and Concluded by unanimous Consent that the Town of Burlington should Assert and Maintain their Title and right to the Island in the River Delaware commonly called Stacy's alias Mattinecunk Island." First Entry in Town Minutes. A BURYING-PLACE FOR CHRISTIANS. On the 13th of July, 1695, a piece of land was bought; the particulars of which are given in these portions of its Deed: "WHEREAS several persons Inhabitants in & about Burlington together with John Tatham Edward Hunloke & Nathaniel Westland have agreed together to purchase a peece or parcell of Land in Burlington for the Conveniency of a burying place for themselves and also free for all other Christian People who shall hereafter be minded therein to bury their dead And for that intent & purpose have respectively disbursed or agreed to disburse into the hands of the said John Tatham Edward Hunloke & Nathaniel Westland (as ffeoffees in Trust) certaine sumes of money for the purchasing of said peece or parcell of Land as may be convenient & for the ffenceing & fitting the same Land when purchased for a burying place NOW WITNESSETH THIS INDENTURE that for & in consideration of the Sume of flive pounds Currant silver money Robert Wheeler hath granted & sold unto the said John Tatham Edward Hunloke & Nathaniel Westland their Heirs & Successors forever one peece or parcell of Land in the Island of Burlington aforesaid being the Towne Lott or house Lott Conteyning Two Roods and sixteene perches as the same is now laid forth and surveyed beginning att a stake sett up being corner to Jonathan Wests lot on the North by Wood street And runs southward in front by Wood street five perches and Three feet and soe back the same breadth being in Length Eighteene perches and an halfe and bounded by the Lott of John Stoaks to the South TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said Lott of Land unto the said John Tatham Edward Hunloke & Nathaniel Westland their Heirs and Suc cessors forever who shall hereafter from time to time successively be nominated & chosen by the major part of the Persons their Heirs and Successors Convened & successively to be convened in the sd granted premises upon the decease or removal of the said John Tatham, Edward Hunloke Nathaniel Westland or any of them as succeeding ffeoffees in Trust on the behalfe of the rest convened &c to be convened for the sd burying place which is to be ffree for all Christian People who shall be minded therein to bury their dead." RESTRICTIONS OF UNLICENSED PERSONS. April 20th 1696, at a Town meeting, "it was put to ye vote whether any person not having a Lycence shall expose & sell any strong Liquors by the pot at fair Times and it past in the negative." "It was likewise put to the vote, whether any Merchant or other unlicenced person shall sell any quantity of Rum or Brandy less than a pint and it past in the Negative; And it was ordered That if any Merch' or other unlycenced person shall sell a less quantity than a Pint of the said Liquors that then such person so offending shall forfeit Ten shillings for every such Lesser quantity so sold the one half to the Burgesse and the other half to the informer: It was also Ordered by the sd meeting that no person shall ride a Gallop during the fair time betwixt the market house and the water side." Town Minutes. ACT AGAINST WANDERING NEGROES. "At a meeting of the Burgess and Inhabitants of the Town of Burlington, Aug 15th 1698, it was enacted, "That all and every Negroe that after the Publication hereof, shall be found wandring about within the Limits of the sayd Town on first days during the Time of Religious meetings and not attending upon any such meeting or abiding at their respective homes or quarters, Shall be put in the stocks, and there continue till the said meetings are over, And that all & every Negro or Negroes that on First Day Nights after sun set shall be found wandring abroad or Absenting themselves from their Respective homes or Quarters, shall be put in yo stocks there to continue all that Night and on the next day be whipt at their Masters Charge." Town Minutes. DESCRIPTION OF BURLINGTON. Gabriel Thomas, in his quaint little HISTORY, printed in 1698, thus writes:-"Burlington is now the chiefest Town in that Countrey, by reason that the late Governor Cox, who bought that Countrey of Edward Billing, encouraged and promoted that Town chiefly, in settling his Agents and Deputy-Governors there, which brings their Assemblies and chief Courts to be kept there; and, by that means it is become a very famous Town, having a delicate great Market-House, where they keep their Market: It hath a noble and spacious Hall over head, where their Sessions is kept, having the Prison adjoyning to it. There are many Fair and Great Brick Houses on the outside of the Town which the Gentry have built there for their Countrey Houses, besides the Great and Stately Palace of John Tatcham Eq; which is pleasantly situated on the North side of the Torn, having a very fine and delightful Garden and Orchard adjoyning to it, wherein is variety of Fruits, Herbs, and Flowers; as Roses, Tulips, July-Flowers, Sun Flowers, Carnations, and many more. There are kept also in this Famous Town several Fairs every Year; and as for Provisions, viz. Bread, Beer, Beef, Pork, Cheese, Butter and most sorts of Fruit, here is great Plenty and very Cheap. There are also two handsom Bridges to come in and out of the Town called London and York-Bridges. The Town tands in an Island, the Tide flowing quite round about it." THE SOCIETY FOR PROPAGATING THE GOSPEL. "The increase of religion in the colonies, and the moral culture of the inhabitants, had been the subjects of many private chemes and individual exertions which resulted in little benefit; and it was found necessary, to make the endeavors effectual, to obtain a charter for a society calculated especially to subserve the purposes in view. In consequence of a representation made by Dr. Thomas Tenison (then Archbishop of Canterbury) to King William III, a charter was obtained, bearing date June 16th, 1701, incorporating several persons distinguished for their stations and virtues, by the title of "The Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts." The proper officers of the Society were chosen on the 27th of June, and measures were im B mediately adopted for the obtainment of funds and perfecting the other necessary arrangements." Whitehead's Early History of Perth Amboy. MEMORIAL FROM REV. MR. KEITH. Shortly after the foundation of the S. P. G., George Keith, who had returned to England in 1694, and received Orders in the Church of England, from the Bishop of London, in 1709, prepared a "Memorial," from which we quote: "To the Secretary of the Venerable Society. Worthy Sir-According to your desire I send you this short Memorial of the State of Religion in such parts of North America where I have travelled, and which I can give of my own knowledge, especially in relation to Quakerism, and some other things by letters from my friends there. In Pennsylvania, when I came to live there, which was in the year 1689, by the number of men and women that used to come to the yearly meetings from the several parts of that province, and from the West and East Jerseys, we did commonly reckon there might be at least fifteen hundred Quakers, two hundred of which might perhaps belong to the West and East Jerseys. After the breach that began in the year 1691, betwixt a party of Quakers that joined with me in opposing some of their errors, (especially their notion of the sufficiency of the light within every man to salvation without anything else) & another Party that joyned with Thomas Lloyd then Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania & a great Preacher among the Quakers, all the Meetings in those Provinces above mentioned were broken, and they set up Separate Meetings one from another, on the account of different Principles of Religion (especially in relation to the notion aforesaid * * which I & my Friends judged a plain opposition to Christianity & an Establishing of Deism in its place) so that when I came from Pennsylvania to England which was in the year 1694, I left behind me fourteen or fifteen Meetings in Pennsylvania, West & East Jerseys that met apart from the Quakers * to the number of above Five hundred persons. "Since there hath been a Church of England Congregation set up at Philadelphia [1695] the Chief Town in Pennsylvania a * * |