As soon as the final cession of Manhattan to the English dominion hadbeen secured by the peace treaty with the Holland Government, the Dukeof York applied for and received from his brother Charles H. theconfirmation of his former title to the country, and immediately appointed Sir Edmond Andros Governer of the province. Andros, though a man of ability, wasunscrupulous tool of his master, the Duke of York, and arbitrary tyranny over the people soon rendered his government immensely unpopular. During his administration seven public wells were dug, a new dock was constructed, new streets were laid out, and the "bolting act" passed. This latter granted the inhabitants of Manhattan the exclusive monopoly of bolting flour, a business which, twenty years later, furnished employment and subsistence to nearly two-thirds of the population. Andros was recalled in 1683, and Thomas_Dongan Colonel Thomas Dongan appointed in his stead. The death of Charles II., in 1685, brought the Duke of York to the English throne under the title of James II. The great political battles between Catholicism and Protestantism in Europe were now fiercely renewed, James seeking with every appliance the restoration of the Roman Catholic religion in England, as it had existed at the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII. The American colonies were largely peopled with Protestant refugees, who had fled the tyranny of the Old World, and who could but take a lively interest in the pending struggle. It was known that Governor Dongan, though a man of moderation and caution, was a zealous Catholic, who had received instructions from his master to favor the introduction of the Roman Catholic religion into the province. As the contest proceeded in England, the tides of public feeling ran high in this country. The climax was reached on the reception of the news of the landing and proclamation of the Prince of Orange, and the abdication and flight of the former king. The revolution in England immediately extended to this country. The Bostonians rose to arms, deposed the English officers, sent them back to the mother country, and established a popular government. New York was more conservative. Governor Dongan, too tolerant in his policy to please the king, had been superseded a short time previously by Francis Nicholson, another Catholic, who, on the reception of the news, betook himself on board a vessel lying in the harbor, and sailed for England, leaving the colony without a ruler. Two political parties quickly came to the surface, each of which avowed its loyalty to the reign of William and Mary. One consisted of the members of the late Council, supported by a few wealthy citizens, and claimed that the colonial government was not subverted by the revolution in England, or by the flight of the Governor; that the second in authority with the Council inherited the power to administer the government, until matters should be definitely settled by the crown. The other party, which embodied the masses of the people, maintained that by the overthrow of the late king, and the abandonment of the country by the Governor, the previous system of government was totally overthrown, and that the people were empowered to appoint a provisional government of their own. But in times of general and intense excitement there is little chance for discussion; prejudice and inclination are immensely more potent than logic. The public money of the city, amounting to £773 12s., had been deposited for safe keeping in the fort, which was garrisoned with a few troops. A crowd of citizens took possession of the fortification without resistance, after which Jacob Leisler, senior captain of the trainbands, was unanimously appointed to take command of the same, with power to preserve the peace, and suppress rebellion until instructions were received from England. The gentleman thus elevated to be the principal hero, and bear in the end the sad penalty of this exciting epoch, was one of the oldest and wealthiest of the Dutch burghers. He had entered Manhattan as a soldier in the service of the West India Company in 1660, and soon after married the widow of Vanderveer, and thus became uncle of Stephanus Van Cortlandt and Nicholas Bayard, who were afterwards the principal instigators in his execution. He had already held a commission in the colony, and fully demonstrated his capacity and loyalty. No sooner had he taken possession of he fort, however, than active measures were undertaken by the opposite party to subvert his administration. Nicholas Bayard became the principal opponent of the Leislerian Government. Bayard was the cousin of Mrs. Peter Stuyvesant, of genuine Holland origin, had by mercantile pursuits amassed a large fortune, and had long been an active politician. He had served as Mayor, and was at this time colonel of the trainbands, of which Leisler was senior captain. His party having failed to get possession of the fort or custom-house, he next tried, but in vain, to disaffect the militia. Finding his influence gone, and alarmed for his personal safety, he, with Colonel Peter Schuyler, took refuge at Albany, where they labored industriously to excite hostility to Leisler and his party. Leisler was supported by Massachusetts, and the General Court of Connecticut, by the citizens of other provinces; but the authorities at Albany, probably through the influence of Bayard, refused for a period to recognize him. His administration appears to have been just, and considering the times, moderate. The first Mayor elected by the people was under his administration.

France having espoused the cause of the exiled king, war broke out on the frontier between the French of Canada and their Indian allies, and the English colonies. The thriving settlement at Schenectady was burned, and nearly all the inhabitants massacred in one night. These depredations led to a general movement on the part of the authorities at Albany, New York, and New England, and two expeditions were fitted out, one against Montreal, and the other against Quebec. Neither of these accomplished their mission, and Leisler''s administration can hardly be regarded a success though his motives were certainly only those of a genuine patriot.