They held that by the British Constitution, the people were entitled to a share in legislation, and that their property could. not be taken from them without their consent. That every

man had a right to adopt that mode of worship, which he believed most agreeable to the scriptures, and that religion was essential to public order and social happiness. For the unmolested enjoyment of these blessings, they had forsaken the scenes of civilization, had broken asunder the ties which bound them to their native soil, had encountered the dangers of the ocean, and had submitted to the hazards and privations of a new and savage country, and they were anxious to incorporate these principles in their new establishments, and to make them the basis of their social and political fabrics.

Of the Civil and Political condition of the several towns in the English Territory, before the conquest.

The several towns in the English territory, were not under the control of any colonial government, nor had they any political connection with each other. Being too remote from the mother country, to derive any aid from thence, and without connections here, the whole powers of Government devolved on the inhabitants of each town. Self preservation rendered it absolutely necessary, that they should assume the exercise of these powers, until a change in their condition should supercede the necessity of it.

er.

Thus, each town at its first settlement was a pure democracy, the people of each town, exercised the sovereign powAll questions were determined by the voice of the major part of the people assembled in town meeting. In this manner they formed such laws and regulations as they judged necessary for the security, peace and prosperity of their infant settlements.

The people of South Hampton, previous to their settlement, entered into a social contract with each other, to be governed by such laws and orders as should be made by the vote of the major part of the inhabitants; and to support and maintain the authority of the magistrates, in executing such laws and orders as should be in force among them.

ment of their religious rights, but still left them subject to many ecclesiastical oppressions

These oppressions contributed to people the United States. Most of the first settlers on Long Island, left England during the prevalence of these oppressive measures, in the reign of Charles 1. They sought an asylum principally for the enjoyment of religious freedom; and they and their posterity have ever since retained an abhorrence of tyranny in every shape, and have always been the devoted friends of civil and religious freedom.

It is supposed that the people of South Old, entered into a ⚫ similar compact, previous to the settlement of that town.

In 1655, the people of East Hampton, did the same; and it is presumed that most, if not all the towns in the English territory, in the infancy of their respective settlements, more or less formally entered into similar covenants and combinations, or adopted something of the like nature, as the basis of their social structure.

In 1653, the town of East Hampton, sent for a copy of the laws of Connecticut; and selected from them such as they judged applicable to their circumstances, and adopted them.

In 1659, South Hampton did the same; and the uniformity observable in the laws of the several towns, render it probable that the other towns did the like, or made those laws the model for such as they made themselves.

The greater part of their laws, resolutions and orders were framed by themselves, in their respective town meetings-they comprised such provisions as were required by their peculiar of situation and such as are necessary to the well be ng every Society.

The first class of acts related to the division of their lands-the enclosure of common fields for cultivation and pastureto regulations respecting fences, highways and watering places-respecting cattle, sheep and horses, that run at large, and in the common fields; and respecting the destruction of wild beasts.

The second class of acts made provision for the public defence for the collection of taxes- for the education of youth -for the preservation of good morals-for the support of religion; and for the suppression and punishmeut of crimes and offences.

One of the first measures adopted in every town was to require every man to provide himself with arms and amunition; and to assemble at an appointed place, when warned, under a penalty for neglect in any of these respects,

In several of the towns, the first settlers erected a small fort or block house, for their security. These precautions were probably taken to guard against the Dutch, as well as the Indians, at least in the western towns.

The men capable of bearing arms in every town, were organized into companies, under proper officers; and were required to meet at stated times, for inspection and exercise.

In 1642, the Military Company of South Hampton, was required to meet six times a year for these purposes.

The public expenses were defrayed. by a tax, the amount of which was fixed by a vote of the people, in a general town meeting; and the rates were made and gathered by persons chosen for that purpose.

The salaries of the first ministers in most of the towns, seem to have been raised as other taxes, by an assessment on all the inhabitants, according to the quantity of land they had taken up.

A school was established in East Hampton, in the infancy of the settlement; and the teacher was allowed a salary of £33 a year.

Among the records of Huntington for 1657, there is a draught of a contract with a school master for three years, at a salary of £25 for the first year, £35 for the second, and £40 for the third; and it is presumed that schools were established in all the towns at an early period of their settlement.

The more effectually to preserve the purity of the public morals they excluded from their society such as they judged would be likely to injure them.

The lands were purchased and held by the first settlers, and they could dispose of them to whom they pleased. This power was an important engine in their hands, for the preservation of good morals; and it seems to have been efficiently employed for that purpose.

In the year 1651, the town of East Hampton ordered that a lot should not be laid out for a certain individual, and that he should not stay in the town.

In 1662, the people of Huntington, by a vote of the town meeting, appointed a committee consisting of their Minister and six of their most respectable inhabitants, to examine the characters of those who came to settle among them, with power to admit or to refuse admission to them, as they judged they would be likely to benefit or injure the society; with a proviso that they should not exclude any "that were honest, and well approved of by honest and judicious men"; and forbid any inhabitant to sell or let house or land, to any one but such as should be approved of by the said committee, under the penalty of £10, to be paid to the town.

In 1653, the same town forbid any inhahitant to entertain a certain obnoxious individual, longer than the space of a week, either gratuitously or for pay, under the penalty of 40 shillings, for the breach of the order "made for the peace of the ton."

It seems to have been adopted as an indispensable rule, in all the English towns on the Island, that no person should be

admitted to settle among them without the approbation of the inhabitants, or of a majority of them.

་

The first settlers in the several towns, also adopted every precaution in their power, to prevent their houses of entertainment from becoming injurious to the public morals.

In 1651, the town of East Hampton, passed an act forbidding any persons to sell any liquor but such as were deputed by the town for that purpose, and also forbidding such persons to suffer youth and such as were under other men's management, to remain drinking at unseasonable hours, and that they should not let them have more than half a pint among four

meu.

In 1650, the town of Hempstead established a house of entertainment and enjoined it upon the keeper " to keep such order that it might not be offensive to the laws of God or the place."

1660, the town of Huntington established a house of entertainment, and to ensure good order, made the continuance of the keeper to depend on the correctness with which he discharged his trust

The first settlers of the several towns in Suffolk County, and the first settlers of Hempstead, made provision for the support of the Gospel among them, in the infancy of their settlements; and the first settlers of Jamaica and Newtown did the like in an early period of their settlements. The first settlers were careful in exacting punctual attendance on public worship, and a strict observance of the Sabbath, and in preventing every kind of personal injury.

In 1650 the town of Hempstead resolved that if any person neglected to attend public worship without a reasonable excuse he should pay five guilders for the first offence, ten for the second, and twenty for the third; and that if he afterwards repeated the offence, he should be liable either to an aggravation of the fine, to corporal punishment, or banishment. About the same period the town of East Hampton ordered that no Indian should travel up and down, or carry any burden in or through the town on the Sabbath day; and that whosoever should be found so doing, should be liable to corporal punishment.

The town of East Hampton ordained that whosoever should slander any one, should be liable to pay a fine of£5.

The same town ordained that whosoever should arise up a false witness against any man, to testify that which is wrong, there should be done unto him as he thought to have done unto his neighbour, whether it should be to taking away of life, limb, or goods.

The same town ordered that if any one should strike another he should pay a fine of ten shillings to the town; and that if smiting he should wound, he should pay for the cure and the time the person was thereby hindered.

To secure the administration of Justice, and to prevent and punish offences, a court was established in every town, in the English territory, called the town court; it was composed generally of three Magistrates, a clerk and constable, who were chosen annually by the people in their respective town meetings.

The people of the respective towns invested their town court with power to hear and determine all causes, civil and criminal.

The proceedings of the courts in the several towns, were governed by the principles of the common law. The parties were entitled to a jury, if either of them required it. The jury consisted of seven men, and the verdict was decided by the voice of the majority.

In most of the towns, the decisions of the town court were conclusive; but in South Hampton, an appeal lay from the decisions of the town court to the general town meeting called the general court, which heard the appeal, and gave such judgment as was deemed just and right between the parties.

The officers of the town courts frequently made orders relative to matters which concerned the welfare of the town, which seem to have had the same force and effect as the resolutions of the town meeting, from which it is presumed that they were invested with power for this purpose, by the voice of the people.

The respective town courts were vigilant in repressing and punishing all kinds of vice and profanity.

In 1653, the town court of South Hampton ordered that if any person over fourteen years of age, should be convicted of wilful lying, by the testimony of two witnesses, he should be fined five shillings, or set in the stocks five hours.

The same court at the same time ordered that if any person should be convicted of drunkenness, he should be fined ten shillings for the first offence, twenty for the second, and thirty for the third.

In 1682, the town court of Huntington ordered the estate of a certain person who was likely to spend it, to be seized, that it might be secured, preserved and improved for his livelihood and maintenance, and that the town might not be damnified.

The same town court ordered that a person who was convicted of bringing a bag of meal from Oysterbay to Hunting