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Which are dependent
on the Province of New York, and are a Barrier between the English
and the French in that part of the world by the Hon. Cadwallader Colden in two volumes (1904)
INTRODUCTION
Dr. Cadwallader
Colden, Surveyor General of the Province of New York, was the first
resident of New York to gain foreign recognition by his literary
labors. His writings dealt with the sciences, philosophy, and
mathematics as well as history. He was a correspondent of Benjamin
Franklin in this country and of Linnaeus and many scientists and
learned societies abroad. In his trans-Atlantic reputation he stood
alone so far as New York was concerned, and his attainments
obviously imparted a distinctive and enduring value to his
contemporary account of the famous Iroquois, the "History of the
Five Indian Nations," which has long since taken rank as a
historical classic.
Cadwallader Colden was born in Scotland in 1687, and practiced
medicine in Philadelphia until 1718, when, on the invitation of
Governor Hunter of New York, he became the Surveyor-General of the
province. A few years later he visited and studied the Mohawks and
was adopted into their tribe. His inclinations and his official life
both led toward a study of Indian life which had most important and
enduring results. Among his various relations with the Indians was
an important mission in 1746, wrhen he visited the Mohawks at the
request of Governor George Clinton and held an important council
with them at Albany for the purpose of securing their friendship.
The story of Colden's close relationship to the internal politics of
Colonial New York may be traced in Mrs. Martha J. Lamb's "History of
the City of New York." He was Clinton's adviser. He was at various
times chairman and president of the Council, and from 1761 to 1775
he was Lieutenant-Governor. As an ardent royalist he endeavoured to
enforce the Stamp Act in the face of an insurmountable opposition
threatening to himself and to other royalists. His death occurred on
September 28, 1776.
Colden's classic
"History of the Five Nations" was one of the most important
evidences of the development of intellectual life in the Colonial
New York of the middle of the eighteenth century. "More attention
had been given to education," writes Mrs. Lamb, in regard to this
period. "Libraries and philosophical societies were being formed in
various directions; Dr. Colden had just finished a book, the
"History of the Five Nations" which was rendering his name famous.
Volume 1 |
Volume 2
Cadwallander Colden
A Representative Eighteenth Century Official by Alice Mapelsden
Keys, Ph.D. (1906) (pdf) |
