the　whole　coast　of　North　America　thus　became　a　British　possession　towards　the　end　of　the　sixteenth　century。　　The　means　used　by　the　English　Government　to　people　these　new　domains　were　of　several　kinds；　the　King　sometimes　appointed　a　governor　of　his　own　choice；　who　ruled　a　portion　of　the　New　World　in　the　name　and　under　the　immediate　orders　of　the　Crown；　*j　this　is　the　colonial　system　adopted　by　other　countries　of　Europe。　　Sometimes　grants　of　certain　tracts　were　made　by　the　Crown　to　an　individual　or　to　a　company；　*k　in　which　case　all　the　civil　and　political　power　fell　into　the　hands　of　one　or　more　persons；　who；　under　the　inspection　and　control　of　the　Crown；　sold　the　lands　and　governed　the　inhabitants。　　Lastly；　a　third　system　consisted　in　allowing　a　certain　number　of　emigrants　to　constitute　a　political　society　under　the　protection　of　the　mother…country；　and　to　govern　themselves　in　whatever　was　not　contrary　to　her　laws。　　This　mode　of　colonization；　so　remarkably　favorable　to　liberty；　was　only　adopted　in　New　England。　*l
  ＇Footnote　j：　This　was　the　case　in　the　State　of　New　York。＇
  ＇Footnote　k：　Maryland；　the　Carolinas；　Pennsylvania；　and　New　Jersey　were　in　this　situation。　　See　〃Pitkin's　History；〃　vol。　i。　pp。　11…31。＇
  ＇Footnote　l：　See　the　work　entitled　〃Historical　Collection　of　State　Papers　and　other　authentic　Documents　intended　as　materials　for　a　History　of　the　United　States　of　America；　by　Ebenezer　Hasard。　　Philadelphia；　1792；〃　for　a　great　number　of　documents　relating　to　the　commencement　of　the　colonies；　which　are　valuable　from　their　contents　and　their　authenticity：　amongst　them　are　the　various　charters　granted　by　the　King　of　England；　and　the　first　acts　of　the　local　governments。
  See　also　the　analysis　of　all　these　charters　given　by　Mr。　Story；　Judge　of　the　Supreme　Court　of　the　United　States；　in　the　Introduction　to　his　〃Commentary　on　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States。〃　It　results　from　these　documents　that　the　principles　of　representative　government　and　the　external　forms　of　political　liberty　were　introduced　into　all　the　colonies　at　their　origin。　These　principles　were　more　fully　acted　upon　in　the　North　than　in　the　South；　but　they　existed　everywhere。＇
  In　1628　*m　a　charter　of　this　kind　was　granted　by　Charles　I　to　the　emigrants　who　went　to　form　the　colony　of　Massachusetts。　　But；　in　general；　charters　were　not　given　to　the　colonies　of　New　England　till　they　had　acquired　a　certain　existence。　　Plymouth；　Providence；　New　Haven；　the　State　of　Connecticut；　and　that　of　Rhode　Island　*n　were　founded　without　the　co…operation　and　almost　without　the　knowledge　of　the　mother…country。　　The　new　settlers　did　not　derive　their　incorporation　from　the　seat　of　the　empire；　although　they　did　not　deny　its　supremacy；　they　constituted　a　society　of　their　own　accord；　and　it　was　not　till　thirty　or　forty　years　afterwards；　under　Charles　II。　that　their　existence　was　legally　recognized　by　a　royal　charter。
  ＇Footnote　m：　See　〃Pitkin's　History；〃　p；　35。　　See　the　〃History　of　the　Colony　of　Massachusetts　Bay；〃　by　Hutchinson；　vol。　i。　p。　9。＇　　＇Footnote　n：　See　〃Pitkin's　History；〃　pp。　42；　47。＇
  This　frequently　renders　its　it　difficult　to　detect　the　link　which　connected　the　emigrants　with　the　land　of　their　forefathers　in　studying　the　earliest　historical　and　legislative　records　of　New　England。　　They　exercised　the　rights　of　sovereignty；　they　named　their　magistrates；　concluded　peace　or　declared　war；　made　police　regulations；　and　enacted　laws　as　if　their　allegiance　was　due　only　to　God。　*o　Nothing　can　be　more　curious　and；　at　the　same　time　more　instructive；　than　the　legislation　of　that　period；　it　is　there　that　the　solution　of　the　great　social　problem　which　the　United　States　now　present　to　the　world　is　to　be　found。
  ＇Footnote　o：　The　inhabitants　of　Massachusetts　had　deviated　from　the　forms　which　are　preserved　in　the　criminal　and　civil　procedure　of　England；　in　1650　the　decrees　of　justice　were　not　yet　headed　by　the　royal　style。　　See　Hutchinson；　vol。　i。　p。　452。＇
  Amongst　these　documents　we　shall　notice；　as　especially　characteristic；　the　code　of　laws　promulgated　by　the　little　State　of　Connecticut　in　1650。　*p　The　legislators　of　Connecticut　*q　begin　with　the　penal　laws；　and；　strange　to　say；　they　borrow　their　provisions　from　the　text　of　Holy　Writ。　　〃Whosoever　shall　worship　any　other　God　than　the　Lord；〃　says　the　preamble　of　the　Code；　〃shall　surely　be　put　to　death。〃　This　is　followed　by　ten　or　twelve　enactments　of　the　same　kind；　copied　verbatim　from　the　books　of　Exodus；　Leviticus；　and　Deuteronomy。　　Blasphemy；　sorcery；　adultery；　*r　and　rape　were　punished　with　death；　an　outrage　offered　by　a　son　to　his　parents　was　to　be　expiated　by　the　same　penalty。　　The　legislation　of　a　rude　and　half…civilized　people　was　thus　applied　to　an　enlightened　and　moral　community。　　The　consequence　was　that　the　punishment　of　death　was　never　more　frequently　prescribed　by　the　statute；　and　never　more　rarely　enforced　towards　the　guilty。
  ＇Footnote　p：　Code　of　1650；　p。　28；　Hartford；　1830。＇
  ＇Footnote　q：　See　also　in　〃Hutchinson's　History；〃　vol。　i。　pp。　435；　456；　the　analysis　of　the　penal　code　adopted　in　1648　by　the　Colony　of　Massachusetts：　this　code　is　drawn　up　on　the　same　principles　as　that　of　Connecticut。＇
  ＇Footnote　r：　Adultery　was　also　punished　with　death　by　the　law　of　Massachusetts：　and　Hutchinson；　vol。　i。　p。　441；　says　that　several　persons　actually　suffered　for　this　crime。　　He　quotes　a　curious　anecdote　on　this　subject；　which　occurred　in　the　year　1663。　　A　married　woman　had　had　criminal　intercourse　with　a　young　man；　her　husband　died；　and　she　married　the　lover。　Several　years　had　elapsed；　when　the　public　began　to　suspect　the　previous　intercourse　of　this　couple：　they　were　thrown　into　prison；　put　upon　trial；　and　very　narrowly　escaped　capital　punishment。＇
  The　chief　care　of　the　legislators；　in　this　body　of　penal　laws；　was　the　maintenance　of　orderly　conduct　and　good　morals　in　the　community：　they　constantly　invaded　the　domain　of　conscience；　and　there　was　scarcely　a　sin　which　was　not　subject　to　magisterial　censure。　　The　reader　is　aware　of　the　rigor　with　which　these　laws　punished　rape　and　adultery；　intercourse　between　unmarried　persons　was　likewise　severely　repressed。　　The　judge　was　empowered　to　inflict　a　pecuniary　penalty；　a　whipping；　or　marriage　*s　on　the　misdemeanants；　and　if　the　records　of　the　old　courts　of　New　Haven　may　be　believed；　prosecutions　of　this　kind　were　not　unfrequent。　　We　find　a　sentence　bearing　date　the　first　of　May；　1660；　inflicting　a　fine　and　reprimand　on　a　young　woman　who　was　accused　of　using　improper　language；　and　of　allowing　herself　to　be　kissed。　*t　The　Code　of　1650　abounds　in　preventive　measures。　　It　punishes　idleness　and　drunkenness　with　severity。　*u　Innkeepers　are　forbidden　to　furnish　more　than　a　certain　quantity　of　liquor　to　each　consumer；　and　simple　lying；　whenever　it　may　be　injurious；　*v　is　checked　by　a　fine　or　a　flogging。　　In　other　places；　the　legislator；　entirely　forgetting　the　great　principles　of　religious　toleration　which　he　had　himself　upheld　in　Europe；　renders　attendance　on　divine　service　compulsory；　*w　and　goes　so　far　as　to　visit　with　severe　punishment；　**　and　even　with　death；　the　Christians　who　chose　to　worship　God　according　to　a　ritual　differing　from　his　own。　*x　Sometimes　indeed　the　zeal　of　his　enactments　induces　him　to　descend　to　the　most　frivolous　particulars：　thus　a　law　is　to　be　found　in　the　same　Code　which　prohibits　the　use　of　tobacco。　*y　It　must　not　be　forgotten　that　these　fantastical　and　vexatious　laws　were　not　imposed　by　authority；　but　that　they　were　freely　voted　by　all　the　persons　interested；　and　that　the　manners　of　the　community　were　even　more　austere　and　more　puritanical　than　the　laws。　　In　1649　a　solemn　association　was　formed　in　Boston　to　check　the　worldly　luxury　of　long　hair。　*z
  ＇Footnote　s：　Code　of　1650；　p。　48。　　It　seems　sometimes　to　have　happened　that　the　judges　superadded　these　punishments　to　each　other；　as　is　seen　in　a　sentence　pronounced　in　1643　（p。　114；　〃New　Haven　Antiquities〃）；　by　which　Margaret　Bedford；　convicted　of　loose　conduct；　was　condemned　to　be　whipped；　and　afterwards　to　marry　Nicholas　Jemmings；　her　accomplice。＇
  ＇Footnote　t：　〃New　Haven　Antiquities；〃　p。　104。　　See　also　〃Hutchinson's　History；〃　for　several　causes　equally　extraordinary。＇
  ＇Footnote　u：　Code　of　1650；　pp。　50；　57。＇
  ＇Footnote　v：　Ibid。；　p。　64。＇
  ＇Footnote　w：　Ibid。；　p。　44。＇
  ＇Footnote　*：　This　was　not　peculiar　to　Connecticut。　　See；　for　instance；　the　law　which；　on　September　13；　1644；　banished　the　Anabaptists　from　the　State　of　Massachusetts。　　（〃Historical　Collection　of　State　Papers；〃　vol。　i。　p。　538。）　See　also　the　law　against　the　Quakers；　passed　on　October　14；　1656：　〃Whereas；〃　says　the　preamble；　〃an　accursed　race　of　heretics　called　Quakers　has　sprung　up；〃　etc。　　The　clauses　of　the　statute　inflict　a　heavy　fine　on　all　captains　of　ships　who　should　import　Quakers　into　the　country。　　The　Quakers　who　may　be　found　there　shall　be　whipped　and　imprisoned　with　hard　labor。　　Those　members　of　the　sect　who　should　defend　their　opinions　shall　be　first　fined；　then　imprisoned；　and　finally　driven　out　of　the　province。　…　〃Historical　Collection　of　State　Papers；〃　vol。　i。　p。　630。＇
  ＇Footnote　x：　By　the　penal　law　of　Massachusetts；　any　Catholic　priest　who　should　set　foot　in　the　colony　after　having　been　once　driven　out　of　it　was　liabl