Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-10-15
The swedish Fathers, MOnum lent.

MOVEMENT TO ERECT MEMORIAL OF THEIR LAND
= ING-sITE SECURED IN THE OLD swEDEs
GROUNDS,
The project of erecting monument in this
city to commemorate the landing Of the Swedes,
and the establishment Of the first Swedish colo
ny in America, is still receiving earnest consid'
Grafton, in the hands of the Delaware Historical
Society. The committee on the subject includes
DR.. L. +. Bush bishop Lee, Senator Bayard,
Mayor Whiteley, Henry dupont, John II. Adams,
Rev. DR.. Frost, Col II. s. McComb, and others.
During last summer the committee made an
elaborate report on the whole subject, deciding
that the place well known as "The Rocks" on
the Christiana, now within the yards OF the new
"Minquas Iron Works" OF the Mccullough Iron
Company, is the precise spot where Peter Minu-
uit landed from the Key Of Cdtmdr, with his
party OF Swedes on an April day in the year 1888,
and after due consideration concluded that a
monument to tho event can best be placed on
the southern extremity of the Cemetery OF
tho Old swedes Church. This, place pos
sessos the advantage OF being, very
near, and intimately connected by
historic association with tho landing and
landing place, Qor while the Swedish Fort
stood on the latter, the fiery Stuyvesant planted
some of his artillery on the former, when in
1866, he summoned bold Jan Risingh to surren-
der) and it affords site for the monument more
elevated, more conspicuous, more convenient of
access, aud less exposing the memorial erected
to danger Of injury than if it were placed in the
roling-mil yard. As to access, indeed, the
Rocks are now shut in on the land side, by the
row mills, entirely, and tourists seeking a mon
'ireut there, would find it with difficulty.
!H- Committee in charge Of the subject have
furtnor proceeded to obtain tho offer of site
ai the authorities of the Old Church-the
l;ecIor and Wardens of Trinity Parish. The lat
tor with due public spirit, have rendered for the
purpose lot in the church grounds 80 feet by
21 with access to it by walk. The tender will
no doubt be willingly accepted. but at present
the progress of the enterprise awaits consulta-
ton with the government of Sweden, which it is
thought proper to notify, in order that IL King
Oscar, who now sits on the throne of wild Queen
Christina, feels an interest in the affair, and
cares TO have anything donein it on his behalf
presuming that he cannot run over, himself,
next year, to lay the cornerstone, and look at
the Centennial-he may have the opportunity OF
doing 30. 1t is proposed that when Senator Bay
ard goes to Washington in December, at the
opening of Congress- he shall consult tho Swed-
ish Minister on the subject.
Mr.. Joseph j. Mickey, of Philadelphia, gem
tleman much occupied in antiquarian and histor-
ica researches, is warmly interested in themon-
ument enterprise, and has been corresponding
with persons in Sweden, for the purpose of as
certaining more exactly, if possible, the time Of
Minuit's arrival 1t is known to have been in
the Spring of 1888, and without doubt in April,
but the precise day of that month, unless it can
be ascertaned from the archives Of the Swedish
government is lost.