Crossing the State in Ancient Times- Perilous Travelling- Indian Hotels and Hospitalities- Singular Accident and Remarkable Recovery- Friends' Meeting, in Middletown and Shrewsbury- Purgatory in Old Monmouth- Where was it?- Novel Life Preservers, &c.

It is doubtful if any more ancient accounts of travelling across New Jersey can be found than the following, extracted from the journals of John Burnyeate and George Fox, distinguished members of the Society of Friends; in company with them were Robert Withers, George Patison and others, some of whom returned by the same route a few months afterwards.- These noted Quaker preachers left Maryland in the latter part of February, 1672, and arrived at New Castle, Delaware, about the first of March. From thence Burnyeate gives the following account of their journey across the State to Middletown:

"We staid there (New Castle) that night, and the next day we got over the river (Delaware). When we got over we could not get an Indian for a guide, and the Dutchman we had hired would not go without an Indian, so we were forced to stay there that day. The next day we rode about to seek an Indian, but could get none to go; but late in the evening there, came some from the other side of the town, and we hired one, and so began our journeying early the next morning to travel through the country, which is now called New Jersey; and we travelled we supposed nearly forty miles. In the evening we got to a few Indian wigwams, which are their houses; we saw no man nor woman, house nor dwelling, that day, for there dwelt no English in that country then.

"We lodged that night in an Indian wigwam, and lay upon the ground as the Indians themselves did, and the next day we travelled through several of their towns, and they were kind to us, and helped us over the creeks with their canoes; we made our horses swim at the sides of the canoes, and so travelled on. Towards evening we got to an Indian town, and when we had put our horses out to grass we went to the Indian King's house, who received us kindly, and showed us very civil respect. But alas! he was so poorly provided, having got so little that day, that most of us could neither get to eat or drink in his wigwam; but it was because he had it not- so we lay as well as he, upon the ground- only a mat under us, and a piece of wood or any such thing under our heads. Next morning early we took horse and travelled through several Indian towns, and that night we lodged in the woods; and the next morning got to an English plantation, a town called Middletown, in East Jersey, where there was a plantation of English and several Friends, and we came down with a Friend to his house near the water-side, and he carried us over in his boat and our horses to Long Island."

Though Burnyeate says "there dwelt no English in that country then" it must not he inferred that the Europeans at this time had no settlements in West Jersey. The settlements there were near the Delaware river; Burnyeate, Fox and their companions had to travel inland some distance from the Delaware so as to be able the more easily to cross the head of streams which empty into that river.

These Friends were travelling in great haste to get to a half yearly meeting at Oyster Bay, L. I., "to settle some difficulties there, which was the cause of our hard travelling." Crossing the State then in three or four days was considered fast travelling.

The following is George Fox's account of the same journey and also of his return trip.

"We departed thence from New Castle, Del., and got over the river not without great danger of some of our lives. When we were got over we were troubled to procure guides; which were hard to get and very changeable. Then had we that wilderness to pass through since called West Jersey not then inhabited by English; so that we have travelled a whole day together without seeing man or woman, house or dwelling place. Sometimes we lay in the woods by a fire and sometime in the Indians' wigwams or houses. We came one night to an Indian town and lay at the king's house, who was a very pretty man. Both he and his wife received us very lovingly and his attendants (such as they were) were very respectful to us. They laid us mats to lie on; but provision was very short with them, having caught but little that day. At another Indian town where we staid the king came to us and he could speak some English. I spoke to him much and also to his people, and they were very loving to us. At length we came to Middletown, an English plantation in East Jersey, and there were friends there, but we could not stay to have a meeting at that time, being so earnestly pressed in our spirits to get to the half yearly meeting of Friends of Oyster Bay, Long Island, which was near at hand. We went with a friend, Richard Hartshorne, brother to Hugh Hartshorne, the upholster in London, who received us gladly to his house, where we refreshed ourselves and then he carried us and our horses in his own boat over a great water, which held us most part of the day in getting over, and set us upon Long Island."

From thence Fox proceeded to Gravesend, L. I. In June following he returned to New Jersey. Of his return trip he writes as follows:

"Being clear of this place we hired a sloop and the wind serving set out for the new country now called Jersey. Passing down the bay by Conny Island, Naton Island and Stratton Island we came to Richard Hartshorne at Middleton harbor about break of day on the 27th of sixth month. Next day we rode about thirty miles into that country through the woods and over very bad bogs, one worse than all the rest, the descent into which was so steep that we were fain to slide down with our horses and then let them lie and breathe themselves before they go on.- This place, the people of the place called Purgatory. We got at length to Shrewsbury in East Jersey, and on First day had a precious meeting there, to which Friends and other people came far, and the blessed presence of the Lord was with us. The same week we had a men and women's meeting out of most parts of New Jersey. They are building a meeting place in the midst of them, and there is a monthly and a general meeting set up, which will be of great service in those parts, in keeping up the gospel order and government of Christ Jesus, of the increase of which there is no end, that they who are faithful may see that all who profess the holy truth live in pure religion and walk as becometh the gospel. While we were at Shrewsbury an accident befel which for a time was a great exercise to us.

John Jay, a friend of Barbadoes who came with us from Rhode Island and intended to accompany us through the woods to Maryland, being to try a horse, got upon his back and the horse fell a running, cast him down upon his head and broke his neck as the people said. Those that were near him took him up as dead, carried him a good way and laid him on a tree. I got to him as soon I could and feeling him, concluded he was dead. As I stood pitying him and his family I took hold of his hair and his head turned any way, his neck was so limber. Whereupon I took his head in both my hands and setting my knees against the tree I raised his head and perceived there was nothing out or broken that way. Then I put one hand under his chin and the other behind his head and raised his head two or three times with all my strength and brought it in. I soon perceived his neck began to grow stiff again and then he began to rattle in his throat and quietly after to breathe. The people were amazed but I bade them have a good heart, be of good faith and carry him into the house. They did so and set him by the fire. I bid them get him something warm to drink and put him to bed. After he had been in the house a while he began to speak, but did not know where he had been. The next day we passed away and he with us, pretty well, about sixteen miles to a meeting at Middletown through woods and bogs and over a river where we swam our horses and got over ourselves upon a hollow tree. Many hundred miles did he travel with us after this.

To this meeting came most of the people of the town. A glorious meeting we had and the truth was over all, blessed be the great Lord God forever. After the meeting we went to Middletown harbor about five miles, in order to take our long journey next morning through the woods towards Maryland, having hired Indians for our guides. I determined to pass through the woods on the other side of the Delaware that we might head the creeks and rivers as much as possible. The ninth of seventh month we set forward, passed through many Indian towns and over some rivers and bogs. When we had rid over forty miles we made a fire at night and lay by it. As we came among the Indians we declared the day of the Lord to them. Next day we travelled fifty miles as we computed, and at night finding an old house, which the Indians had forced the people to leave, we made a fire and lay there at the head of Delaware bay. The next day we swam our horses over a river about a mile, at twice, first to an Island called Upper Dinidock and thence to the main land, having hired Indians to help us over in their canoes."

The island called by Fox Upper Dinidenk is now known as Burlington Island; it was formerly called Matinicunk, which name Fox has misunderstood. He also calls the Delaware river here Delaware bay as he does in other places. By his journal it would seem no whites at that time lived at Burlington though a few whites had lived there and in the vicinity many years before.

It is impossible to read the accounts of travelling at this early period without being forcibly reminded of the contrast in travelling then and now. Many of the Quaker preachers speak of crossing streams in frail Indian canoes, with their horses swimming by their side ; and one, the fearless, zealous John Richardson, (so noted among among other things for his controversies with "the apostate George Keith") in substance recommends, in travelling across New Jersey, "for safety, travellers' horses should have long tails." The reason for this singular suggestion was that in crossing streams the frail canoes were often capsized, and if the traveller could not swim, he might probably preserve his life by grasping his horse's tail. Mr. Richardson describes how one man's life was preserved by this novel life preserver; in this case the life preserver being the long tail of Mr. R's own horse; and in commenting upon it he quaintly observes "that he always approved horses' tails being long in crossing rivers."

Long before Fox and Burnyeate crossed the state the whites, particularly the Dutch, frequently crossed our state by Indian paths, in going to and fro between the settlements on the Delaware and New Amsterdam (New York), though they have left but meagre accounts of their journeyings, and their are strong probabilities that the Dutch from New Amsterdam, after furs and searching for minerals, crossed the state as far as Burlington Island, Trenton, and points far up the Delaware from forty to fifty years before the trip of these Quaker preachers.

That their journeyings were not always safe, is shown in the following extract of a letter written by Jacob Alricks, September 20th, 1669: "The Indians have again killed three or four Dutchmen, and no person can go through; one messenger who was eight days out returned without accomplishing his purpose."

The next day he writes:

I have sent off messenger after messenger to the Manhattans overland, but no one can get through, as the Indians there have again killed four Dutchmen.

At the time of writing these letters Alricks resided in Delaware, and they were addressed to the Dutch authorities at New York.