also in her ecclesiastical government and therefore it is too dangerous. We shall try to find among the Dutch candidates some, who know enough of the English language to perform the service in both tongues.

We believe, that the complaints made by the Latin schoolmaster or rector about the insufficiency of his salary are almost answered by the payment of all salaries there at Holland valuation, as now ordered, which, with what he receives from his pupils every year, should be sufficient to support him decently, as long as he remains a single man; with the increase of young people in the school his income will increase daily, for the parents of his pupils will not hesitate to remunerate him fairly, if he does his duty. You can assist him in this matter according to circumstances.

The medicinal seeds, for which you asked to propagate them there, shall be ordered from the academical garden at Leyden and it is possible, that they will be sent herewith.

The request made by you in behalf of some inhabitants and freighters of the ship "Gulde Meulen," sailed from there for France, that some favors might be extended to them in regard to the cargo, which they will ship with the proceeds of their outward freight, is not intelligible, for we think, we have done enough for the encouragement of these merchants. They clamor for more, because they are the first to attempt this channel of trade, but they will deny to have been accessories to the first fraud, committed by this ship or by her crew in bringing over, against special order, a quantity of beavers and other furs sold by them in France, as the supercargo of the ship writes us from there. If this smuggling cannot be stopped, we shall be compelled to withdraw the liberty and privileges, provisionally granted for this foreign trade, to prevent the loss and injury, which the Company and the city would suffer thereby.

We believe, we have now answered your letters, but we received with them also a letter from D' Drisius, who asks, that he be treated in regard to board money in the same manner, as his colleague, D° Megapolensis, because he too is burdened with a family. We are of opinion, that he cannot be placed in the same category, because his stepchildren * have undoubtedly their father's property and are no burden to him. You may tell him so, also that we paid to Mr. Edward Man the amount of his statement of salary earned, but we do not intend to do it henceforth for the reasons given above; let everybody govern himself accordingly.

The children and heirs of the late Cornelius Werckhoven have represented to us, that one Jaques Corteliauw, in whose charge as agent their father, before leaving New Netherland, left all his land, houses, cattle, furniture and merchandise, refuses now to give an accounting of his administration to their attorney and tries to delay it under various frivolous pretexts, while he enjoys the profits of the estate, left to them by their father. They request us to write to you, desiring your assistance in maintaining their right and in having the business speedily closed up under all circumstances. We could not well refuse it and therefore urge you, to take good notice of this case when it comes before you, and to decide it as speedily, as justice and equity admit.

We send you herewith again a lot of silkworm eggs for distribution among people interested in this matter, to see whether thereby the production and spinning of silk might not become an industry there. You can contribute much toward it.

We should have sent you also the abovementioned clothing, stationery, ammunition, farming

* Domine Drisius married Lysbet, the widow of Isaac de Riemer, the daughter of Grevenraedt, in 1659. Her daughter Margaret became the wife of Cornelius Steenwyck in 1658 and after his death was married to Domine Henricus Selinus.-B. F.

implements etc, but we could not get them ready, besides, this ship could not have taken them. You may expect them by the " Bever," which is now taking in freight and, if not hindered by ice, will follow in a few days.

Herewith, etc., etc.

Amsterdam,

the 22d of December 1659.

Your good friends
The Directors of the W. I. Company

Department of Amsterdam,

PAULUS TIMMERMAN
EDWARD MAN.

To the Director General and Council of New Netherland, arrived per " Trouw," April 5th.

EXTRACT FROM A LETTER OF STUYVASANT TO THE DIRECTORS IN HOLLAND: PROPOSALS FROM NEW ENGLAND; AN ENGLISH FRIGATE AT NEW AMSTERDAM; FINANCES AND TRADE.* Honorable, Wise, Prudent and Very Worshipful Gentlemen.

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As to the request made by the Commissioners of the New England Colonies and our answer to it, we have received no further writings or advices and we must presume and fear, that they will carry out their intentions, unless your Honors speedily send out an armed vessel to keep the rivers free. This is much required here and might assist to ward off other inconveniencies, as the falling off of the New England wampum trade and the Virginia tobacco trade. We must say here, that since dispatching our last letter there arrived here and passed through an English frigate, freighted with salt, mounting 22 guns and having a crew of 34 to 36 men; she is now said to be at New Haven, 15 to 16 leagues from here. It is also reported, that she has three commissions, to wit, an English, a Swedish and a Portuguese, to interfere with the travel between here and New England and on the rivers within the jurisdiction of New Netherland; she has already taken two small vessels from here and further loss, inconveniencies, interference and diversion of the trade is to be feared. If this or any other such vessel with such commissions should anchor and remain in the North or East rivers beyond the reach of our guns, it could easily ship the tobacco trade with Virginia and even the furtrade and communication with Fort Orange, while New Netherland could do nothing to prevent it for want of a vessel properly equipped for our defence.

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The letters of Mr. Beck to your Honors by the ship "Coninck Salomon," duplicates of which are here enclosed, and to us by the "Sphera Mundi" inform us of the scarcity of provisions and other commodities, which we are asked to send according to the enclosed lists. We would provide him and the Island at all times with everything, he requires, if we had a suitable and convenient vessel or could hire one to send them in. At present, in order to accommodate him as speedily as possible, we have hired from Mr. Jacob Alrichs the galiot "Nieuwe Amstel," for which we have to pay 500fl a month, the crew being fed at the expense of the Company** and only three days of

* For the balance of this letter see Col. Doc., Vol. XII, p. 288 and XIII, 130.
** See Vol. XII,
p. 285.

demurrage allowed by him for taking in freight and dispatching her. She arrived here last Saturday and we have resolved, to send in her to Curaçao for account of the Company 250 schepels of white and gray peas, 300 schepels of wheat, 4000 to 5000 lbs of meat and bacon and as many beams and spars, board and other lumber as possible. What we are short of now, will be made ready during the winter, so that, when an opportunity offers, it may be sent in the spring or following summer. As far as we had a chance, we have not failed to obey your orders and provided the Island, where according to the enclosed extract we sent by the fly boat "Liefde" in 1655 provisions and materials

The logwood, sent as return freight, has been transmitted to you agreeably to Mr. Beck's request; the fourth part of the salt, brought by the galiot and the "Sphera Mundi," has been received for account of the Company and is for the most part on hand because of the poor trade and low prices, so that we have little or no advantage of the return cargoes in these pressing times. We would therefore respectfully request you, to provide us at the first opportunity with a good cargo of merchandises, as well for the use of the soldiers as to barter for provisions for this place and the Island of Curaçao; by which the Company will be considerably benefitted.

On former occasions you have recommended and urged us, to encourge private individuals in this province to trade to Curaçao with provisions and other merchandises for the sake of continuing the commerce and correspondence between the two places. This is highly necessary and desirable if it could be done with profit or at least without loss, but that is hardly to be expected and we see less inclination and no chance for a profitable trade, as long as the inhabitants and merchants sending goods here are and remain subject to the duty of 12 to 16 p. ct., while those who send their goods to Curaçao direct, pay only two p. ct., as the bearer hereof, skipper Jan Pietersen Groot, tells us, and goods sent directly from Amsterdam to Curaçao sell there cent p. cent: on the other side, goods sent here must be first exchanged for wampum, and this for beavers or tobacco; when disposed of at the best advantage with a great deal of trouble they do not bring 20 p. ct. clear profit, which of course can give only little encouragement for a trade from here to Curaçao. Furthermore, negroes brought there for 140 to 150 pieces of 8 in cash, cannot be sold here for that price in beavers or tobacco, so that the expenses and the risk of the voyage out and back are lost.

Your Honors hold logwood for your own account, agreeably to a contract, made with some private parties; therefore nothing can be exported: salt remains at a low price and there is no hope of an advance for the private trader. Meanwhile commerce is the soul, the life, the salvation of a place, which depends on its development, and it is impossible, that your territories should exist, much less prosper without it. For the sake of the salvation and welfare of this province and its inhabitants we respectfully request you, to give them such privileges for their encouragement, that they shall be taxed like, but not more than, others. Impelled by our duty and an inclination to advance the condition of your province and its inhabitants we submit to your Honors' discreet judgment and decision, whether the duty on goods sent to Curaçao, where private traders may at present make the surest and most profits, should not be increased and the duty on cargoes sent here diminished or both equalized: we believe, that this measure will not diminish, but rather augment,

your Honors' revenues, while the good inhabitants, your subjects, would be under obligations to you and feel encouraged to trade and enter into correspondence with Curaçao. When the duties in both places are the same, it is pretty certain, that the intercourse and traffic between them will prevent the frauds and contraband trade, carried on by ships coming here via Curaçao, as two of them have done lately. If you would further be pleased for the benefit and encouragement of agriculture to place a fair and fixed price upon negroes, whom your subjects might desire to import here for provisions, lumber or otherwise, as you have fixed the price for horses, imported here from Curaçao, it would undoubtedly increase the trade to Curaçao and provide the Island from here with plenty of commodities, timber etc, so that it would never be in want of anything. The enclosure from Mr. Beck informs us, that for the benefit of the people on the Island you sell negroes to the usurious Jews at a lower price, than to Spaniards and other foreigners. We believe and are quite sure, that for the sake of promoting the trade between the two places, of encouraging agriculture and advancing the welfare of your subjects here your Honors will give them, if not more, at least the same privileges and demand the same taxes, as from the usurious and covetous Jews.

Shows with due humility and respect Jan Zeelen, a farmer, that he has purchased from Peter Roeloffsen a house at New Utrecht, hoping to made there with God's help a bouwery or plantation; that the said Peter Roeloffs and his family has removed to live in Amesfoort on the Bay, abandoning a certain parcel of land No. 18, taken up by him in New Utrecht, and whereas thereby his rights in the said village of New Utrecht have again escheated to the Company, your petitioner requests, that your Honors will please to give and grant to him this parcel of land and the same rights in the said village as others have. Awaiting your Honors' favorable decision he remains.

Your Noble Honors' humble servant

The mark of JAN ZEELEN.

The following reply was given to the foregoing petition :

If the petitioner's statement is true, his request is hereby granted. Date as above (January 16th 1660.)

PETITION FOR LAND ON LONG ISLAND AND LEAVE TO SETTLE A TOWN "BEYOND THE HILLS BY THE SOUTH SEA," (JAMAICA, L. I.), and Order OF COUNCIL GRANTING IT.

To the righte honnourable lord Stiverson Lord gennerall of the new neytherlands the humble petishion of your lordships humble pettishioners: In as much as we haue had experians of your lordships willingnes to forwarde any of our nation that desyer to liue honnestly and peasably by giuinge of them land wherby they may comfortably liue: we therfore are bould to pettishion to your lordships for: a tracke of land lyinge beyond the hills by the southe sea which we suppos will be convenient for the setlinge of a towne without any predigis to your lordshipe; it is therfore our humble request to your lordshipe that you would be pleased to grant us liberty to settell thereon: som of us hauing liued thes seaurall years in your lordships Jurisdiction and haue neuer had any land ginen us but we haue hyred land of others and now considerenge if we doe not settell oursclues whilst we be in our strengthe to goe through our labour; whereby we may gain somthinge to keep us in our agge we shall be rather a charge than a benefite to the common wealthe others of us hauing so little not suficent to improue for the use of our familys have put it oft to others that haue less familys: it is therfore our humble request to your lordshipe to grant us our request and we hope we indeuor to performe your lordships will in what we are able; if your lordshipe shall be pleassed to grant it to us we shall god willinge settel it this yeare we for the most of us hauing no land to improve: other ways we must look to settell our sclues som other way where we may haue land to improue: thus seasing to truble your lordshipe allso hoping you will be pleassed to giue it to us we rest your lordships humble pettishonours and loyall subyects.

The Govern' Generall and Counsell of the N. Netherlands doe graunt by these presents the petitioners to settle a plantation uppon or about the place mentioned, uppon such conditions and freedoms as the jnhabitants of our owne Nation in this province doe Enjoye, proveyded that the petitioners and theyre adsosiaets for theyre own Safety & common good doe Settle theyre howse Lots Soo cloose as the conveniency of the place and Generall order shall admitt.

Fort Amsterdam in the N. Netherlands, the 4th of February A° 1660.

ORDINANCE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF VILLAGES, PASSED FEBRUARY 9th, 1660.

(See Laws and Ordinances of New Netherland, p. 368.)