East Jersey Under the Proprietary Governments

uke of York from the crown,' conferred upon him, his heirs and assigns, among other rights appertaining thereto, that most important one of government; the power of hearing and determining appeals being reserved to the king; but, "relying," says Chalmers, " on the greatness of his connection, he seems to have been little solicitous to procure the royal privileges conferred on the proprietors of Maryland and Carolina," whose charters conferred almost unlimited authority. "And while as counts-palatine they exercised every act of government in their own names, because they were invested with the ample powers possessed by the praetors of the Roman provinces, he ruled his territory in the name of the king."2 'In the transfer to Berkley and Carteret, they, their heirs and assigns, were invested with all the powers conferred upon the duke, " in as full and ample manner " as he himself possessed them ; including, as was conceived, the right of government although not expressly designated : thus transferring, with the land, the allegiance and obedience of the inhabitants, in a way little in accordance with modern ideas of what constitute the just rights of mankind; particularly so, as the proprietaries seem to have regarded this ' N. J. Grants and Concessions, p. 3. 'Chalmers' Annals, p. 613. assignment of government more as an absolute grant, uncontrollable by superior authority, than as an investiture of power, for the exercise of which they were to be held respons... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.