CHAPTER I

INDEBTEDNESS OF THE STATE TO ROMAN LAW AND TO DUTCH BEGIN¬
NINGS----THE  CHARTER  GRANTED  BY THE  STATES  GENERAL TO

THE DUTCH   WEST  INDIA  COMPANY----COMMISSIONS  ISSUED  TO

THE GOVERNORS OF THE COLONY----THE CHARTER OF FREEDOM.S

AND  EXEMPTIONS—TRIBULATIONS  OF  THE  COLONISTS   UNDER

DUTCH    RULE----EXTENT   OF   THE   DUTCH    CLAIMS   IN    NORTH

AMERICA----SURRENDER OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM  TO THE ENGLISH

----THE duke's LAWS ; GOVERNMENT UNDER ANDROS AND DON-

GAN----THE CHARTER OF LIBERTIES AND PRIVILEGES—THE COL¬
ONY  UNDER  SLOUGHTER,   THE  GOVERNOR  APPOINTED   BY  WIL-

.LIAM    III----THE   CHARTER   OF    169I----TYPE   OF   GOVERNMENT

UNTIL   THE   OUTBREAK   OF   THE   REVOLUTION----THE   BRITISH

PARLIAMENT   HAD   NO  AUTHORITY  OVER  THE  COLONIES----THE

CONSTITUTION OF THE COLONY OF NEW YORK AT THE DATE
OF THE REVOLUTION, AN OUTGROWTH OF DUTCH AND ENG¬
LISH CUSTOMS AND LAWS----LIMITED CHARACTER OF SUF¬
FRAGE.

Originally a colony of Holland, New York traces no incon¬
siderable measure of her character and polity to her Dutch origin,
and, through Holland, to Roman ideas. The influence of her
Dutch beginnings pervades the life of to-day. The indebtedness
of all the States to Roman law and Roman civilization is now
generally recognized. If the pressure of population upon the
means of subsistence had not driven Rome to comprehensive
colonization, her jurisprudence might never have been established
in Western Europe. As West European nations made settle-
I