Mr. Butler's Discourse. 177 



government of the Dutch, it cannot be doubted that provision 

 would have been made for the education of their youth in the 

 language and literature of the mother country ; though the 

 difficulties incident to a feeble and slowly increasing colony, 

 prevented them from doing much towards the accomplishment 

 of this object, while the country was in their hands. The 

 same difficulties, increased by the embarrassments arising from 

 the prevalence of two languages, and from diversities in the 

 character of the inhabitants, prevented the provincial govern- 

 ment, after the acquisition of the territory by the English, 

 from taking any efficient measures for the public instruction, 

 until long after the eastern colonies had established some of 

 their most valuable institutions. 



In the latter part of Governor Dongan's time — about 1687 

 — a Latin school was set up in the city of New-York ; but as 

 the teacher was strongly suspected of being a Jesuit, it ap- 

 pears to have received but little encouragement.* In the in- 

 terior, there continued for a long time to be a great deficiency 

 of schools for elementary instruction ; some districts were en- 

 tirely destitute ; and the few teachers that could be found 

 scattered through the province, were generally incompetent. 



The subject was not entirely overlooked by the govern- 

 ment, but their measures were rather calculated to retard, 

 than to promote, the diffusion of knowledge. Smith informs us, 

 that the royal instructions expressly provided, that no school- 

 master coming from England, should be permitted to teach in 

 the province, without the license of the bishop of London, 

 and that no person then in the colony, or that should come 

 from other parts, should be allowed to keep school without 

 first obtaining a license from the governor, f Several of the 

 governors — and particularly Lord Cornbury — attempted to 

 execute the power of licensing, in the spirit of the instructions 

 which conferred it. These attempts were often violently re- 

 sisted, and always odious to a great portion of the people. 



.The first law on the subject of education enacted in the 

 colony, was passed on the 27th of November, 1702, on the 

 petition of the common council of the city of New- York, rep- 



