During her whole existence as a British Colony, a period of one hundred and nineteen years, New York was a Royal Government, a Province independent in all respects except her allegiance to the British sovereign, whose representative was the Royal

Governor for the time being. As such representative the Governor granted by patent all the lands which were granted in the Province, except those previously granted by, the prior Dutch government, the i)Ossession of which by their owners was duly confirmed by the Articles of Capitulation under which the Dutch surrender of New Netherland was made in 1664.

By the thirty-sixth article of the first State Constitution of 1777, all tliese crown grants under, through, and by Provincial Governors, prior to October 14, 1775, were declared to be valid and ineontestible, and were thereby confirmed. And this declaration and confirmation have been continued and adopted in all the succeeding constitutions of New York to the present time. Conscejuently a grant from the British Crown is tlie highest source of title in this State, and one which is irrefragable, and incapable of being affected adversely in any way by any legislative, or other, act of the State government, or any decision of any Court of this Stale, or of the United States.

3.

The Dutch in Xeto Netherland.

A brief statement of the dealings of the Dutch with their newly discovered country, before its colonization was actually begun, is necessary to a right understanding of the principles upon which that colonization was undertaken, and of the system of government, and laws, which that great nation established, in New Netherland.