Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-08-28
BUYS AND SELLS EXCHANGE
FISHERS ISLAND.
New YOrlI's Latest Acquisition OF
TerrttOry-HoW the Island
was Settled by Pirates.
NEW York EYening Posi-. ]

PIum 1SlanQ with the velocity OF
mill race, lies Fishers Island, tn
natural breakwater of the harbor, t
which chiefly it owes its immunit,
from bars and swift currents. TIL
StOnington steamboat channel is Oh
one side, and on the other the shil
channel, leading past Montauk int
the ocean. The surface of the islant
is rolling and somewhat hilly ii
character; Its soil IS fertile; it pre-
sentsp pleasant prospects, cool breezes
shady walks and drives, and though
rarely visited by the tourist, has al
the elements of a popular watering
place. It has history, too, but it
chief public interest rests on the fac
that it has been for more than two
centuries the occasion of lnucl
wrangling and contention as to ju
risdiction between neighborine
states.
Capt. Adolphus Block first dis
covered it, sailing up the Sound
from Manhattan in his square
bowed, high-roofed, native-built
| yacht the Restless, poking his inquis.
tive nose into every creek and bay
along the coast as far east as Cape
Cod, and claiming for his Dutch
masters territory that rightfully be.
lOnged to- the English king, and
i this in 1914, six years before the
i MayhoWer landed. Block named
the island Fishers Island after one
of his companions, it is said. 1t
was pretty correctly mapped by De
Saet, an early Dutch geographer,
who thus speaks of it in his Journal :
GA small island lies to the south
| west by south from this river, the
Thames, as the coast runs. Near the
west end of it a northwest by west
moon causes very low water"
For twenty-five years after its dis
covery the island remained q will
derness, known only to the Dutch
traders, who resorted thither to pur-
chase peltries and Wampum of the
Indians. But in 1910 John Win
thrOp, Jr., son of the famous Gov
ernor Winthrop, the founder of Bos-
ton, obtained from the Massachu-
setts plantation a grant of Fishers
Island so far as it was theirs to grant,
Preserving the right of Connecticut
| if it should be decided to be theirs"
| Nearly at the same time, in order
that there might be no flaw in his
title, he applied to the Connecticut
general court for a similar grant,
which was given him in the follow
ing words, which are copied from
the records of a general court, held
at Hartford April 8, 1641:
"Upon Mr.. Winthrop's motion to
the court for Fishers Island, it is
the mind of the court that so far as
it hinders not the public good of the
country, either for fortifying for de-
fence, or setting up a trade for fish
ing or salt and such like, he shall
have liberty to proceed therein.o
But the patent granted to the
Duke of York in 1864 contained an
insignificant clause that was not
only a source of disquiet to Gov.
Winthrop, but has continued to be
disturber of the peace to the pres
ent day. This clause gave to New
York all the islands lying in Long
Island Sound, and shortly after the
patent was granted Winthrop APP
piled TO and received from GOV.
Nichols of New York a third pat
ent, declaring his island to be an
Hentire, enfranchised township, ma
nor, and place of itself, in nOwise
subordinate or belonging unto or
dependent upon any riding, town.
ship, place or jurisdiction what
ever" Connecticut, however, did
not by Winthrop's act relinquish
her claim to jurisdiction.
In 1880 Sir Edmund Andres, the
petty tyrant who soon afterWard
made an ignomineous exit from the
colonies in chains, wrote to the mag
istrates of Connecticut, asserting his
authority as governor of New York
over Fishers Island; to this the
general court of May IS, 1880, thus
stoutly replied:
"Whereas this court is informed
that Sir Edmund Andres hath as
serted that a certain island called
Fishers Island, belonging to heirs
of John Winthrop, deceased, is part
of his Royal HighnesS's territories,
which by charter from his Majesty,
Charles H., King of England, is in
deed granted untOthis, his Majesty's
colony of Connecticut, and under
the government thereof. This
colony, for preserving the just linn
its of his Majesty's gracious grant to
them, do hereby publicly assert that
said island is part and member of
this colony of Connecticut and under
the government thereof, and that
they have exercised and shall eXer-
else government there as occasion
shall require, and do hereby declare
and protest against the said Sir Ed
mund Andres and all other persons
their claims or exercise of authority
or government on or over said
island"
Here the matter ended for the
time being, but on each occasion
that the vexed question of the bOun-
diaries of the two states came up for
settlement the island was always an
important factor in the problem.
Early in the present year report
was presented to the legislature of
Connecticut by its three commits
sioners previously appointed to treat
with the commissioners of New
York on this affair, which recon-
mended the surrender of the island
to New York. This report was ac-
cepted by the legislature, but the act
created so much dissatisfaction in
some parts of the state that it was
led to supplement its action by re-
appointing the commissioners to
treat with those of New York, and
to devise some method for its acqui-
sition by Connecticut. And this is
the present status of the matter. 1t
cannot but be remarked, however,
that in the eastern part of the state
the prospect of the cessiOn of the
island to New York is viewed with
the greatest objection. Connecticut
claims il by patent, conquest and
purchase, and the general feeling Is
that the island is lawfully hers.
tsWhy, look at it,n said prominent
gentleman conVersing on the subject
recently; "the island is scarcely
three miles off our coast-just far
enough to he beyond the reach of
riparian law; it was settled by our
people; it Is bound to US by every
tie of interest and kinship; we have
considered it ours for more than
two centEzses, and now it is given
to foreign state, whose nearest ter
ritory is twenty miles away across
a stormy channel, and whose near
est county town is thrice and its
capital ten times that distance. Com
nectieut ought to haYe it-of course
she ought-and if she had half the
pluck and belligerency of her
younger days she would have it,