Dy virtue of this Act tlie Church was built and a dissenting minister called and if I mistake not paid ; the other Dissenters who were forced to comply were very nuich dissatisfied at this procedure of their brethren and many of them appeared in the interest of the Chm-ch thinkijig no way so effectual to defeat their ad^ ersaries and this was the beginning of the Church of England in .Jamaica on Long Island the Church & parsonage house continued in tliC poss( ssion of the Dissenters till some time after the arrival of M'" Urquhart when a representation was made to my Lord Cornbnry that the Church & house being built by pul^hc Act

PAPERS RELATING TO CHURCHES IN QUEENS COUNTY. 245

could btelong to none but the Church of 'England. My Lord upon this gives his WaiTcint to dispossess the Dissenters wliich immediately by force was done without any procedure at Law & Mr Urquhart put into possession of thera : this short method might be of some service to tlie Minister but was very far from being of any to the Church as no such unaccountable step ever can be. M'' Urcjuhart kept the possession during his hfe and tho' he gained not many converts yet his conduct was so good tliat I don't think he lost any. After M"^ Urquhart's death his Widow's daughter married a dissenting IMinister and she put the parsonage house into his possession in which it continues 'till now ; this happened much about the lime of Coll Hunter's arri\'al. Whether application was made to him or no I can't tell but some changes in the Magistracy being nuide & by a naistake one or two put in that were patrons of t le Dissenters, M''Poyer & his friends clicse to apply to these tliey weie sure would refuse them and not , to those in place who were firm to their interest and being refused complained to tlie Gov'' who immediately sent ibr the person and ordered liim to be prosecuted that it might appear whether lie had failed in his dutj- or not wiiether tlie i)rosccMtion was confirmed or not I can't tell but I happened to be ill the Govcrnor-s Cliamber when his Judge and a Dissenting MiiLSter came in and tliis matter was talked of he said that the intention of the Legislature at that tihio was to raise a maintenance for a Dissenting Minister, all the Assembly but one being dissenters and knowing nothing of the Church but that being th.e intention of the law makers was tlie meaning of the law and he hoped tlie Dissenters might enjoy what whs so justly tlieir (.hie or at least mA to be deprived of it without due course of law iis tlicy formerly liad Ijeen.