New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-15

STATE. One Of the Original Thirteen, ,, BY
Francis Bagleg k seTe AsE %ia %elson car
ret d W Hroom E 5p so as The Publish
.ng Society Of Sew-Jersey.
The first impression Of elegance and substan-
tiaiity left by these four volumes vanishes on
the most cursory examination. Their eKecutoh
is pretentious in every way. but cheap the a.
Illustrations mostly miserably bad ana lhe
centricity Of scattering the wide margins OF tie
paRes and even encroaching upon the text WIFI
poor Impressions of poor drawings IN orange
colored INK is a distraction TO the reader ana d
futile blernish The text is minute and laporl-
Gus compilation, giving detailed account Oh
New-Jersey's history, politics. social life and
economic development. The author has followed
a Milan that promised we'll for the most striking
and effective presentation Of the subject lie
has undertaken TO present the CHARACTERISTICS
of a dramatic period he calls II, or the
special lines of development during era, CIV
ing the facts with great application OF detail
and yet maintaining an historical perspective.
The first coionizing undertaking treated Of is
that of the adventurous Sir Edmund Plowden
TO establish New-Albion. and the order of Al
bion Knights" in New-Jersey; but his expedi-
ton never even started, and the coming of the
Swedes to the valley Of the Delaware is the
first actual colonization to be recorded They
soon succumbed the power of the Dutch, ana
the influence left by them soon disappeared.
Similarly was lost the Huguenot influence. what
remained that of the conservative, land
owning, aristocratic Quakers of West Jersey.
where the conditions resembled those of Virginia
and Maryland, and of the stern Calvinists of
East Jersey where the small towns became
stirring entities with an intense individuality,
after the New-England manner. The colony OF
New-Jersey received, with others. the quicken
ing influence of George whitehelds ministry,
and John Woolman the Qua ker apostle of the
abolition of slavery and OF temperance-that
man Of whom Charles Lamb wrote: Get the
writings OF John woonan by heart and love
the early Quakers'
The second volume is devoted TO the part New
Jersey PLAYED in the Revolutionary War-an i'm
portant part, because her territory was the
scene of several Of the most notable battles OF
that In the literary activity of the time
New-Jersey was conspicuous. Governor Will
lam Livingston. a poet and vigorous politi-
cal writer founded the first newspaper in the
colony, The New-Jersey Gazette: John With
erspoon president of the College OF New-Jersey,
and Francis Hopknson wrote boldly in encour-
agement of the revolutionary spirit. and Thomas
Paine began 1.-The Crisis at Newark. and lived
thereafter at Rordentown.
New-Jersey claims the first railroad charter
granted in the United States-it was issued in
1915 for a "Rail-Road from the river Delaware
near Trenton the river Raritan, at near
New Brunswick''-of course, for horse. not
| steam power though the project was never
ried out. John Fitch. in 1856 obtained from
the State Of New-Jersey a right to navigate
.ts waters with steamboats,. and the next year
carried out the successful trial in the Della
ware River. curious episode that came of
this and Of John Cox Stevens's similar expert
ments in Hoboken, followed upon Fultons oper-
alton Of his steamboat up the Hudson, after Sc
curing a twenty year privilege for the steam
navigation in New-york waters. New-York
claimed jurisdiction TO the low water mark on
the Jersey shore. and undertook to stop Stew
ens's boats from navigating those waters.
Commercial war" broke out. and various retail
atory measures Were enacted by the legislat-
But with injunctions and by the power
of their influence" Fulton and his associate
Livingston, broke down all opposition TO their
plans The canals and the railroads that have
had such specially important part in the de-
velopment of New-Jersey are subjects Of inter-
esting chapters recounting their origin. Joseph
Bonaparte. the king who lived in New-Jersey."
at Bordentown described as settling in that
State chiefly because the legislature willing
TO pass an enabling statute permitting him, an
alien 10 hold land there in fee simple The in
dustrial development of the State is traced and
the more recent political and economic and So
cial changes are the subjects of special chapters
II is interesting note that to New-Jersey's
dangerous coast line, with bar parallel to the
beach, is due the institution Of the United States
Life Saving Service. through the efforts OF Gov
ernor Newell, a member Of Congress. in 1S4S.
The authors have left UNDECIDED none of the
salient ana significant points of New-Jersey's
history and development. The treatment in the
form of monographs or separate subjects is con-
ductfve to the clearness and compactness of the
narrative: and while the book is not allurng
through either its literary style its nanufac-
ture. il gives complete record of The States
place in American history-a record that
passes in interest and value most of the local
histories"