Peter Linde having sold to Barent Jansen, who also acknowledges to have purchased and paid for a certain parcel of land containing twenty morgens, running about southeast one hundred and ninety rods towards the woods near Sassian's maize land, along the edge of said maize land fifty rods, back towards the shore two hundred and twenty rods, about north north-west somewhat northerly, and along the shore seventy rods; which aforesaid land is situate on Long Island, between Andries Hudde and Clues Jansen Ruyter's (lands); and further, as large and small as appears by the ground brief granted under date September 11 1642, by the Honble Director William Kieft dec" to the behoof of Peter Linde.

The Vendor hereby surrenders all right and claim of ownership in the above named land to the behoof of the above named Barent Jansen, or his assign henceforth and forever, promising to guarantee the same from all challenge and pretension to be set up thereto by any one in the world. Parties engage this their agreement, purchase and conveyance to hold firm and binding, the same to observe and execute under bond of all Courts and Judges.

Signed with Jochem Beeckman and Abraham Rycken as witnesses hereto invited. Dated as above, Manhatan in New Netherland.

On the 29th of January A° 1652, is this deed and conveyance approved by the Honble Director General and Council of New Netherland, and in testimony signed by the Honble Director General President. Amsterdam.

LETTER FROM BRANT VAN SLECHTENHORST TO THE COURT OF RENSSELAERSWYCK SENT TO THE DIRECTOR GENERAL AND COUNCIL PROTESTING AGAINST CERTAIN OF THEIR PROCEEDINGS. Copy of a Letter sent by Brant Artse van Slechtenhorst to his Honor, the Director General and Council.

To the Honorable Court of the Colony of Rensselaerswyck :

Respectfully shows Brant van Sluchtenhorst, Director of the said Colony, that a few days ago he received a judgment passed by the court at the Manhattans against Jan Jansen S' Obijn, condemning him to a fine of two hundred and fifty guilders, because he had carried me from the Manhatans to this Colony. It is quite unheard of, that an inoffensive skipper, a regular freighter, plying his trade for the honest sustenance of himself and family, who so far has never injured nor obstructed the authorities or any body else, [should be punished], while the necessity of my

departure by that opportunity was proved not only by me, but also by the authorities here in their letters and requests.

Where has it ever been heard or seen, that in a law-abiding country among Christian neighbors of the same religious belief and under the same sovereignty, such proceedings are instituted against anybody, as against the said Director, who by his position is not only commissioned and qualified, but was also called upon by General Stuyvesant in his letter of February 18th 1651 to give his advice for the common welfare in important land matters! I say, it is unheard, that such a person should be arrested and detained a long time without examination or subsequent issue, for the Director, notwithstanding his position, has been kept in arrest from the first of May until August, without having once been examined, although he entered a written protest and complained against it nor could he obtain justice, much less a discharge although he requested to be relieved of such unnecessary and fruitless vexation; all this has been shown and clearly proved to the Court of the aforesaid Colony.

When the aforesaid van Slechtenhorst in his stated quality came to the Manhatans they summoned him on the first of May simply by a messenger without legal form or citation and when he appeared the Court suddenly and unexpectedly passed the sentences against him, which directly contradict each other and held him so long as a prisoner, that he [has lost] all legal claims to his person and position. In due time it shall also be proved, by impartial judges, that of his goods more were confiscated to pay for the fees of the arrest, which were very small, than necessary. Would a person [be punished] in the Fatherland, be he ferryman or skipper, for carrying a man, of whom theretofore he had no knowledge or of whom nobody had told him, that he was detained by order of the Court contrary to the ordinances? But some receive impressions in their dreams, which they seem to utter in their daily deeds either with or against the laws of our country. Such unheard of and unbearable proceedings as against Slechtenhorst in his quality and against others, may well in time ruin this blessed and fruitful country or bring it to a sorry condition and turn the laws into public nuisances, which God forbid.

Therefore the said Director ex-officio protests and appeals against all these vexations and injuries, inflicted upon the said Slechtenhorst in his aforesaid quality, also against what has been done to Jan Jansen the skipper and Jacob Jans Stol without law or right and contrary to the privileges of the Colony. He complains before God Almighty to their Noble High: Might: the States General, our gracious sovereigns and lieges and to the Lords Patroons and Directors of the said Colony over this open violence and compulsion, he complains further of the five soldiers and five boatmen sent by Mr. Stuyvesant in the Company's sloop in 1648 and kept in the Colony and Fort for 14 days his own letter and the threats uttered against van Slechtenhorst at different times, ordering him not to continue with the erection of buildings and settlements on the Lords Patroons' own territory, or he, Stuyvesant, would cause the buildings to be torn down and then he incited 13 or 14 low fellows from the Fort, who were ready and armed for a fight, which however Slechtenhorst and his people prevented. When they could not obtain their object, they invented pretexts and summoned Slechtenhorst three times to the Manhatas, making the following charge: "What the charge of our Magistrates and the Fiscal of New Netherland are against Brant van "Slechtenhorst, Magistrate in the Colony of Rensselaerswyck, he will hear and see, when he appears "before the Court in obedience to this summons." Slechtenhorst answered to this summons, that if the Magistrates and the Fiscal of New Netherland have any claims upon him, as a private person or in his official capacity, they might

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and call for him at his place of residence. These useless citations and vexations of like sort were

repeated daily and the aforesaid Director protests once more against all losses and prejudice already suffered or which he may have to suffer hereafter also against all the harm and injury, done to him personally and in his official capacity, all cum expensis and the said Director as such offers as security for the foregoing actions in appeal all the property belonging to and claimed by the Patroons from the Honble Company, also the horses and grain delivered to Mr. Petrus Stuyvesant himself from the Colony and requests to give a like security, to execute the sentence hereafter under the foregoing appeal. Done at the Colony of Rensselaerswyck, the 25th of Septbr 1651.

P. V. SLECHTENHORST, Director of the said Colony.

As to the detention of the Honble Director, whereas some members of this Court, the principals of the Colony of Rensselaerswyck, had been arrested in the time of the Honble Director General William Kieft, which his Honor not only maintained, that they were not subject to arrest, but also the release of his Honor followed, affirming, that the Colony was accountable for them, the Court of this Colony declares, that the same decision should hold good now as before. Done at the meeting, this 25th Septbr 1651.

Teste A. DE HOOGES, Secretary.

Dirrick van Schelluyne, Notary Public, declares herewith, that the foregoing letter, directed to the Court messenger Claes van Elslandt, has been in his charge until the 27th day of this month of January 1652, without having at any time previous been called for or sent off. New Amsterdam, Jan 29, 1652. D. V. SCHELLUYNE, Not. Public.

COUNCIL MINUTES. RESOLUTION, CALLING ON THE COURT OF RENSSELAERSWYCK TO EXPLAIN

CERTAIN OBSCURITIES IN THEIR FOREGOING DECISION.

To day, the 29th of January a closed letter was delivered by the Court messenger, which on opening proved to be a petition, drawn up and signed in the Colony of Rensselaerswyck by Brant van Slechtenhorst, Director of the said Colony, on the 25th of Septbr 1651 and directed to the Honble Court of Rensselaerswyck, with the said Court's decision written on the margin as follows: (see above).

After due examination and upon voting the above decision was found ambiguous and obscure and the Director General and Council therefore resolved to direct the Court of the Colony as they do herewith, to free their decision from all obscurities and explain themselves clearly.

1. By giving the names of the principals of the Colony, arrested during the time of Director

Kieft.

2. By stating in whose name and why the arrest was made.

3. By stating, whether the Court declares null and void the arrest of van Slechtenhorst for disobedience and contempt of the order given by the Director General and Council of New Netherland, from which arrest Slechtenhorst stealthily escaped and which declaration seems to be expressed in their decision.

A categorical answer is requested.

COUNCIL MINUTES. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF NINE MEN.

Tuesday, the 30th of January 1652, at Fort New Amsterdam present the Director-General P. Stuyvesant, Hendrick van Dyck, Fiscal, Mr. La Montagne and Brian Newton.

The commonalty having made their nomination and submitted it to us, the following have been confirmed.

Jochem Pietersen Kuyper

Paulus Leendertsen (van der Grist).

Peter Cornelissen.

The 24 of February 1652 the same

Jochem Pietersen.

Paulus Leendertsen.

Peter Cornelissen Molenaer have taken the oath of allegiance before the Director General and Council of New Netherland.

ORDINANCE REGULATING THE BUSINESS OF THE WINDMILL.

(See Laws and Ordinances of New Netherland, page 123.)

COUNCIL MINUTES. RESOLUTION ON A PETITION OF THE NINE MEN, THAT NO HOGS BE SHOT ON THE WALL OF THE FORT AND THAT THE FORT BE SURROUNDED BY PALLISADES; CHURCH PROPERTY; SURGEONS; ANABAPTISTS.

Monday, the 12th of February 1652 at Fort Amsterdam, present the Director General, La Montagne and Brian Newton.

The Board of Nine Men came into the Council chamber and requested the presiding officer, that the Honble Council would please to forbid the shooting of hogs on the walls of the Fort and that for this reason the Fort be enclosed with stakes or in some other convenient way.

The Director General consents to the request of the Commonalty and promises to have the necessary posts cut and hewed by his own servants or negroes, the community to bear the expenses of putting up the pallisades and enclosing the Fort.

The Deacons of the church request by a petition that the money due for the purchased land may be set off against the Honble Company to the amount of 1850f.

The Council decree: fiat the offset.

The surgeons petition, that nobody else, but they shall be allowed to shave, to which

The Director and Council reply, that shaving is properly not in the province of the surgeons, but is only an appendix to their calling, that nobody can be prevented to please himself in this

matter or to serve anybody else for friendship's sake, out of courtesy and without receiving payment for it or keeping a shop to do it in, which is hereby expressly forbidden.

As to the other request this regulation concerning surgeons and the public health is made. Whereas we are informed, that last summer two or three grave mistakes have been made by the inexperience of some ships' barbers,

Therefore Director and Council order herewith that such ships' barbers shall not dress any wounds, bleed or prescribe for any one on land, without the knowledge and special request of the above petitioners or at least Doctor La Montagne.

Domine Johannes Megapolensis requests, that Anna Smits, an Anabaptist, should be restrained from using slanderous and calumniating expressions against God's word and his servants.

The Director General and Council direct, that Anna Smits shall appear on the following Wednesday at the school of David Provoost, where the Nine Men usually meet and that the Director and Council together with the complainant and the consistory shall assemble there also, to hear what the said Anna Smits has to say against the teachings of the complainant.

Adrian van Tienhoven, Samuel Megapolensis and Jan de la Montagne request permission to erect a pew in the church of this place, which

The General and Council resolve to take into consideration.

REPRESENTATION MADE BY THE DIRECTORS OF THE AMSTERDAM CHAMBER OF THE W. I. COMPANY TO THE BURGOMASTERS OF AMSTERDAM ON VARIOUS POINTS REGARDING THE PROVINCE OF NEW NETHERLAND AND RESOLUTION OF THE MUNICIPALITY THEREON.

To the Very Worshipful Gentlemen, their Honors the Burgomasters and Regents of this City of Amsterdam.

Show with due reverence the Directors of the Privileged West India Company, Department of Amsterdam, that by the blessing of God the country, called New Netherland, has in a short time increased in population, cultivation and commerce and that it will continue thus to increase on account of its favorable situation. The Directors endeavor by every means not only to promote agriculture and trade, but also to take care of the administration of the country and the undisturbed peace of its inhabitants, in regard to which several things have occurred, which they are at a loss, without the wise counsel of your Worships, to decide on, viz:

The communities under the jurisdiction of the Company, Dutch as well as English, complain in all their letters of the impudence of the savages, who during the last year or eighteen months have murdered some persons, captured some children and stolen a number of animals, all under pretext, that we had no right to resist them, whereas they had been informed by the deputies of the complainants, who were here from New Netherland last year, that the Supreme Government here had ordered, our officers there should not begin any war against them, as it had been done previously, when with armed hand the Company had compelled these barbarians to live honestly and in peace, which peace they have broken by their aforesaid deeds.