Death of
Sir W.

Sir William Phips died of a malignant fever in 1695. London, on the eighteenth of February, at the age of forty five years; and was honourably interred Phips. in the church of St. Mary Woolnoth.'

N. York.

In the spring of this year, the governor of New Affairs of York came to an open rupture with his assembly; which he at last prorogued, after obtaining an act for supporting one hundred men on the frontiers. At this session, on a petition of five church wardens and vestrymen of the city of New York, the house declared it to be their opinion, "That "the Vestrymen and Church Wardens have a pow"er to call a dissenting Protestant minister, and "that he is to be paid and maintained as the Act "" directs."* At a subsequent session in June, governor Fletcher laid before the assembly the king's assignment of the quotas of the several colonies, for a united force against the French. 3

1 Mather Magnal. book ii. 71. Hutchinson, ii. 85. Adams N. Eng. 166. He was born in 1650 at Pemaquid, where he kept sheep until he was 18 years old, and then he commenced an apprenticeship to a shipcarpenter. When he became of age, he set up his trade, and built a ship at Sheepscote. He afterward followed the sea; and hearing of a Spanish wreck near Bahama, he gave such as account of it in England, that, in 1683, he was appointed commander of one of the king's frigates, and went in search of it; but without success. The duke of Albemarle fitted him out soon after on a second voyage, and he brought home (in 1687) a treasure of near £300,000; his own share of which was about £16,000. This event introduced him to men of rank and fortune; and he was made a knight by king James II. He is characterized as an honest and a pious man; but through the influence of a low education, and a passionate temper, he did not always preserve the dignity of a chief magistrate. He was a man of great enterprise and industry; and to these properties, together with a series of propitious incidents, rather than to any uncommon talents, is his promotion to the first office in his country to be ascribed. Hutchinson, i. 397. Mather Magnal. book ii. 37-75. Mather (ib.) says, that Sir William Phips, supposing that he had gained sufficient information of the place of Bovadilla's shipwreck [mentioned vol. i. p. 28 of these Annals], in which was lost an entire table of gold of 3310 pounds weight," intended, on his dismission from his government, to go in search of it; but death prevented the enterprise.

2 Smith N. York, 86. "The intent of this Petition was to refute an opinion, which prevailed, that the late Ministry Act was made for the sole benefit of Episcopal Clergymen."

3 Smith N. York, 87. A list of the quotas is subjoined:

£ 80

350

160

Massachusetts

Maryland

Virginia

Duke's

county formed.

1695. The legislature of Massachusetts passed an act, constituting Martha's Vineyard, Elizabeth Islands, and the islands called Noman's Land, with all the dependencies formerly belonging to Duke's county, into one county, by the name of Duke's County.

Scotch

trading company.

English vade Hispaniola.

French re

Frontenac.

The Scotch parliament passed an act for erecting a company to trade to Africa, and the East and West Indies. The company was formed, and obtained letters patent from the king.*

Captain Wilmot, with twelve hundred land forc es, made an attempt on the French settlements in Hispaniola. His approach toward Cape François intimidating the inhabitants, they immediately blew up the fort, fired the town, and retreated in the night, with the utmost precipitation. The English the next morning found there forty pieces of cannon, and plundered the town. They next attacked Port au Paix, which was, in like manner, abandoned by the French; who were intercepted in their retreat, and almost all their officers either slain, or taken prisoners. 3

The Five Nations refusing to accede to the terms, pair Fort proposed by the French, count Frontenac resolved to force them to submission. Having previously sent out three hundred men, in the hope of surprising them on their hunting place, between Lake Erie and Catarocuay Lake, and at the same time to view the old French fort there; he, in the summer of this year, sent out a considerable body of French and Indians, to repair the fortifications at Catarocuay. The work was successfully executed; and the fort, after its repair, was called by its former name, Fort Frontenac."

I Massachusetts Laws. Neal N. Eng. i. 220.

2 Univ. Hist. xxxix. 159; xli. 374.

3 Wynne, ii. 460, 461.

4 Colden, 180, 182, 188. The French found Catarocuay Fort in a better condition, than they expected; "the Indians having neglected to demolish and level the bastions; and probably they had not instruments sufficient to do it." Ibid. See A. D. 1678, 1679.

makes pre

Governor Fletcher, going to Albany in Septem. Governor ber, made a speech to the Five Nations; in which Fletcher he blamed them for being asleep, when they suffer- sents to the ed the French to take possession of Catarocuay; Five Naand advised them to invest the place with their parties, so as to prevent them from receiving any supply of provisions. This advice was accompanied with a considerable present.'

1696.

tions.

govern

nia.

The freemen of the province and territories of Third Pennsylvania, convened in assembly, having present-frame of ed a remonstrance to governor Markham, complain- ment in ing of the breach of their chartered privileges; a Pennsylvabill of settlement, prepared and passed by the assembly, was approved by the governor. This was the third frame of government in Pennsylvania. A money bill for raising three hundred pounds, for the support of government, and the relief of the distressed Indians above Albany, was passed by the same legislature. 3

the cam

paign for

The French ministry limited their views, for the French campaign of this year, to three objects; the expul- project of sion of the English from their posts at Newfoundland, Pemaquid, and Hudson's Bay.* The expe- 1696. dition against Pemaquid was committed by the king to Iberville and Bonaventure; who anchored on the seventh of August at Pentagoet, where their

I Colden, 182. Smith N. York, 87. Fletcher gave the Indians 1000 pounds of powder, 2000 pounds of lead, 57 fusees, 100 hatchets, 348 knives, and 2000 flints, beside cloathing and other articles.

2 Proud, i. 409-415. By this charter, or frame of government, the council was to consist of two members only from each county, and the assembly of four; making in all 12 members of council, and 24 of the assembly. [See A. D. 1683, note 5.] It was afterward sanctioned by some other laws; and continued in force until the year 1701.

3 Ibid.

4 Charlevoix Nouv. France, ii. 160. It appears, that the expedition of Pemaquid was to be at the expense of the king, and the two others at the expense of the Company of the North. Ibid. Pemaquid fort was considered as controuling all Acadie ; "du Fort de Pemkuit, d'ou ils tenoiene toute l' Acadie en échec."

1696. force was essentially augmented by the junction of the Baron de St. Castine, with two hundred Indians. Castine and these auxiliaries went forward in canoes, and the French in their vessels; and on the fourteenth they invested the fort. In a few hours Iberville sent a summons of surrender to Chubb, the commander of the fort, whose answer was, "that if the sea were covered with French vessels, and the land with Indians, yet he would not give up the fort." The Indians now began their fire, which was returned by the musketry and a few cannon from the fort; and in this indecisive exercise the first day was brought to a close. The next day, before three in the afternoon, Iberville had raised his batteries, and thrown five bombs into the fort, to the terror of the garrison. Castine, finding some way of conveying a letter into the fort, gave notice to the besieged, that, if they waited until an assault, they would have to do with savages, and must exFort at pect no quarter; for he had seen the king's order taken by to give none. This menace produced its effect. the French, The garrison, consisting of eighty men, obliged the

Pemaquid

and de

stroyed.

commander to capitulate. The celebrated fort,

I The conditions of the capitulation, demanded by Chubb, were, that no person should be plundered; that he and all his men should be sent to Boston, and exchanged for French and Indian prisoners; and that the French should insure them protection against the fury of the Indians. All these conditions were acceded to. Hutchinson says, "that the fort was surrendered upon the terms offered by the French;" but Charlevoix, that the terms were first demanded by the English. "Les conditions, qu'il [Chubb] demanda &c. Tout cela fut accordé." The article of security against the Indians, Hutchinson indeed, says, was required by the garrison; and he assigns this reason for it: "They were conscious of their own cruelty and barbarity, and feared revenge. In the month of February before, Egeremet, a chief of the Machias Indians; Toxus, chief of the Norridgewocks; Abenquid, a sagamore of the same tribe; and several other Indians, came to the fort to treat upon an exchange of prisoners. Chubb, with some of the garrison, fell upon the Indians in the midst of the treaty, when they thought themselves most secure, murdered Egeremet and Abenquid with two others. Toxus, and some others, escaped." Mather [Magnal. book vii. 93.] informs us, that, about the middle of February following, there came above 30 Indians to Andover," as if their errand had been for a vengeance upon Chubb, whom (with his wife) they now massacred there,"

which had cost the Massachusetts colony immense 1696. sums of money, was now demolished by the captors.'

2

The French, having destroyed all settlements in Nova Sco Nova Scotia, excepting those of St. John's, Bonavis- tia laid ta, and Carbonier harbour, made preparations for waste. the reduction of the English posts in Hudson's Bay and Newfoundland; but these parts of the grand project were not carried into full effect until the sub- Fort Bour sequent year. The English, in the mean time, took by the Fort Bourbon [Nelson], at Hudson's Bay; and English. sent the garrison prisoners to France.

bon taken

There were, at this period, one hundred and thir- Population ty churches, and one hundred thousand souls, in & churches New England.

An

of N. Eng

land.

The city of New York contained five hundred Progress of and ninety four houses, and six thousand inhabit- N. York. The shipping of New York consisted of forty ships, sixty two sloops, and sixty boats." episcopal church was built, this year, in the city of New York, and called Trinity church. The Reformed Protestant Dutch church of that city was incorporated. '

I Charlevoix, Nouv. France, ii. 178, 179. Minot Mass. i. 70. Mather [Magnal. book vii. 90.] says, Chubb surrendered this fort "with an unac countable baseness;" and adds, "there were 95 men double armed in the fort, which might have defended it against nine times as many assailants." The French historian is less severe: "Le Fort de Pemkuit n'étoit pas unė aussi bonne place, qu'il le paroissoit; toutefois il est certain que, si 'il eut été défendu par de braves gens, le succès du siége eût pu être douteux, ou du moins il en eût coûte bien du sang pour s'en rendre maître." Dr. Mather seems not to have properly estimated the force of the assailants; and he makes no mention of their cannon and mortars. Hutchinson says, "after all, there is room to doubt whether a better garrison could have withstood that force, until relief might have been afforded from Boston." ii. 92, 932 Univ. Hist. xxxix. 251.

3 Charlevoix Nouv. France, ii. liv. xvi.

4 Univ. Hist. xl. 110. See next year. Anderson [ii. 627.] says, king William sent out two ships of war and some land forces, by which all the English forts in Hudson's Bay were retaken. See Charlevoix Nouv. France, ii. 202.

5 President Stiles' Christian Union, 111.

6 Chalmers, i. 598. The number of houses in the city increased in 18 years from 343 to 594; and the number of inhabitants from 3430 to 6000. Ibid.

7 Smith N. York, 189. Trinity church was enlarged in 1737. Ib.