704 A. E. McKinley Island certain political privileges. Naturally the Englishmen who had enjoyed self-government under Connecticut or New Netherland wished to have their rights confirmed by the new English authori- ties ; and, on the other hand, Nicholls was most likely to take up, first of all, the establishment of proper political forms among his fellow-Englishmen. Hence it is not surprising that the first code of laws was limited to the county of Yorkshire, that is, to Long Island, the Bronx peninsula, and Staten Island. In accordance with his earlier promise, therefore, Nicholls in February of 1665 wrote to the inhabitants of Long Island, reciting the past wrongs under which they had groaned, the " signall grace and honor " which the King had shown in reducing the neighboring foreign power, and his own determination, in discharge of his trust and duty, to call a general meeting at Hempstead, on the last day of February, 1665. The governor ordered that the assembly should consist of " Deputyes chosen by the major part of the freemen only, which is to be understood, of all Persons rated according to their Estates, whether English, or Dutch ;" and recommended to the people that in the choice of their deputies they select " the most sober, able and discreet persons without partiality or faction, the fruit and benefitt whereof will return to themselves in a full and per- fect settlement and composure of all controversyes, and the propa- gacon of true Religion amongst us." ' The directions of this letter were followed out, and on February 28, 1665, thirty-four deputies, from seventeen towns, assembled at Hempstead. With the exception of two delegates from West- chester, all the deputies represented Long Island towns, both Dutch and English towns sending delegates." On the day following their meeting, the deputies acknowledged themselves to be within the limits of the patent of the Duke of York, and unanimously declared their submission to all laws which should be made by the Duke's authority.^ This declaration bound them to observe the code of laws upon which Nicholls had been at work, and which now he promulgated in their presence. This code, known as the " Duke's Laws," following the example of the New England codes, was ar- ranged alphabetically according to subject-matter ; and its provi- sions were drawn in very large measure from the laws of Massachu- setts and New Haven, copies of which Nicholls had obtained.* And yet, while he took some of the New England laws bodily, Nicholls' code shows some very significant changes and omissions ; KW I
- Co/. Doc.
., XIV. 564. 2 Ibid .565. ■^ rind. , III. 91. KV. !
- Col. Lau
■.t, I. 7 ; Brodhead,
