Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-12-27

Der OF The Caledonian." an Ameri-
can-Scottish magazine published
monthly in New York city, Is an ar
ticle on THE Settlement of Perth
Amboy and East Jersey by the
Scots" written by Daniel Mac
Gregor. formerly of this city and
past chief of the Perth Amboy Cal
edonian Club. The article contains
facts of interest as L the settlement
OF this city and is reprinted here;
By Ex-Chicf II. MrGrcgor.
Perth Amboy Calcdonian Club
Three distinct and definite at
tempts have been made to tabll
Scottish Colonies in America, the
first in the Island of Nova Scotia, IN
1929, under the direction OF SIR VIII
liam Alexander, first Earl of Stirling;
the last in D&rien. Isthmus of Pan
anna, in 1898, at the instance and
under the guidance of William Pat
terson. founder of the Bank of Eng
land. Both were failures. the latter
being a disastrous one, both as 10
loss of life and treasure. Between
these two, both in order of time ana
location, was the New jersey set
Element under the auspices OF the
Projectors of East Jersey, In 1896
5, during the closing period of re-
ligious C~ovenanting times.
William Penn and eleven other
Quaker associates purchased East
Jersey from the executors or the es-
tate of Lord George Carteret, the
original owner. Each of these twelve
Projectors sold one-half of their
share. making twenty -four Proprie-
tors in all, each holding one-twehty-
.--.t u = 49, p.At-fraa q IN o.
whom were James, Earl of Perth;
John. Earl of Melfort: George. Wis
count Tarbet: Robert Gordon. OF
Cluny: Robert and David Barclay, of
Uric, and Gawen Lawrie, all prom
inent Scotsmen, and some of these
men of high ~prerogative' in the
Kingdom.
As Penn and his Quaker associates
were deeply concerned in the devel-
opment of West Jersey and Pennsyl-
vania as English Colonies, 1t was
tacitly agreed that East Jersey
should become a Scottish settlement.
and with that end in view the Pro-
prietors appointed as Governor OF
that Province, Robert Barclay or
Uric. who was to h Scottish
Quakers what William Penn was TO
those of England. He and his Scot
fish associates proceeded at once TO
carry out this plan.
The First settlement
They chartered the ship Ex-
change. James Peacock master,
which sailed from Leith on Aug. 10,
1888, with the first consignment of
about sixty settlers. including men,
women and children, in charge OF
David Barclay, youngest brother of
the Governor, along with the neces-
sary provisions, live stock and farm
ing utensils to the value of about
$4,000. After a sixteen weeks voy-
age, they landed at Perth Amboy
about the middle of December, and
made their homes in the three or
four houses already built for their
reception by Thomas Rudyard and
Samuel Groome, the Proprietors'
representatives, who had come out a
year earlier as Secretary and sur
veyor.General, respectively, ana
who were instructed to lay out a
new capital on Amboy Point.
Gawen Lawrie arrived about the
same time as David Barclay. and as
sumed the duties of Deputy Gov
erner to which office he had been
appointed by his fellow countryman,
Governor Barclay; he in turn APP
pointed his s~on-in-law, William
Haig. to be Surveyor and Receiver
General of the Province, filling a
vacancy occasioned by the death OF
Samuel Groome.
Lawrie not being satisfied with
the town plan as laid out by Groome,
had it changed, under the supervi-
sion of William Haig. and probably
at his suggestion; the plan hey
adopted being based on the original
plan of Philadelphia, in the laying
out of which Haig had an active
part as one of the Commissioners
| sent out by Penn to put in effect his
scheme for the colonization of Penn
sylvania.
William Haig was born at Bemer-
syde, on the banks of the Tweed, and
was of the same family from which
is descended the illustrious Sir
Douglas Haig, now Earl Haig OF
Bemersyde, who so gloriously ind
VIGOROUSLY led the British forces as
their Commander-in-Chie in the
great World War.
The Name "Pertb AmbOy'
In order to emphasize the Scottish
character of the settlement. Lawrie
was instructed to name the intended
Capital of the Province New Perth,
in honor of the most prominent of
the Scottish Proprietors. the Earl
of Perth, while at tne anne time it
commemorated the name of Scot
lands ancient Capital, where the
Kings and Queens of Scotland were
wont TO be crowned OF the royal
throne of Scone. Common usage