coming there; the latter arrived there for the first time in the year 1636, after our Fort Good Hope had been a long time in existence, and almost all the land on both sides of the river had been bought by our people from the Indians, which purchase took place principally in the year 1632: and Kievits hook [Saybrook Point] was purchased at that time also by one Hans Eencluys, an officer of the Company. The State's arms were also affixed at this Hook to a tree in token of possession, but the English, who still occupy the Fresh River, threw them down, and engraved a fool's face in their stead. Whether this was done by authority or not we cannot say: such is probable and no other than an affirmative opinion can be entertained; this much has come to pass - they have been informed of it in various letters, which have never produced any result; but they have in addition, contra jus gentium per fas et nefas,1 invaded the whole, because, as they say, the land lay unoccupied and waste, which was none of their business, and, besides, was not true; for on the river a fort had already been erected, which continued to be occupied by a garrison. Adjoining the fort was also a neat bouwery [farm] belonging to the Dutch or the Company; and most of the land was purchased and owned. . . . All the villages settled by the English from New Holland or Cape Cod unto Stamford, within the Dutch limits, amount to about thirty, and may be estimated at nearly five thousand persons capable of bearing arms; their goats and hogs cannot be stated. . . . There are divers places which cannot be well put down as villages and yet are the beginnings of them. Among the whole of these, the Rodenbergh or New Haven is the principal; it has a governor, contains about thirteen hundred and forty families, and is a province or member of New England, there being four in all. This place was begun eleven years ago, in the year 1638, and they have since hived further out and formed Milford, Stratford, Stamford and the Trading House already referred to. 1 "Contrary to the law of nations, and right or wrong." 2 That is, the New England Confederation, formed in 1643 by the colonies of Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven. Director Kieft hath caused divers protests, both in Latin and other languages to be served on these people, commanding them... to desist from their proceedings and usurpations; and in case of refusal warning them thereby that satisfaction should be required of them, some time or other, according as circumstances might allow; but it was knocking at a deaf man's door, for they did not heed it, nor give it any attention; . . . General Stuyvesant hath also had repeated differences with them on this subject, but it remains in statu quo. The farthest that they have ever been willing to come is, to declare that the matter could never be arranged in this country, and that they were content and very desirous that their High Mightinesses1 should arrange it with their Sovereigns; and this is very necessary, inasmuch as the English already occupy and have seized nearly the half of New Netherland . . . so it is earnestly to be desired that their High Mightinesses would please to press this matter before it proceed further, and the breach become irreparable. In the year following this spirited protest (1650) commissioners from Governor Stuyvesant and the New England colonies agreed on a boundary line between New Netherland and New England. Articles of agreement made and concluded at Hartford upon Connecticut, Sept. 19, 1650, betwixt the delegates of the honored commissioners of the united English colonies, and the delegates of Peter Stuyvesant, governor generall of Newe Netherlands. Concerning the bounds and lymits betwixt the Englishe united Collonies and the Dutch province of New Netherlands, wee agree and determine as followeth. 1. That upon Long-Island a Line run from the westermost part of Oyster-bay and so in a streight and direct line to the sea, shall be the bounds betweene the Englishe and the Dutch there the easterly part to belonge to the English, the westermost part to the Dutch. 1 The States General of the Netherlands. 19. New Netherland becomes New York, 1664 [49] 2. The bounds upon the maine [main-land] to begin upon the west side of Greenwich bay, being about 4 miles from Stamford, and so to run a westerly line 20 miles up into the country, and after as it shall be agreed by the two governments of the Dutch and Newe Haven, provided the said line runn not within tenn miles of Hudson's river. . . . ... 3. That the Dutch shall hould and enjoy all the lands in Hartford that they are actually in possession of, knowne or sett out by certaine merkes [marks] and boundes, and all the remainder of said lands on both sides of Connecticut river, to be and remaine to the English there. And it is agreed that the aforesaid bounds and lymyts . . shall be observed... both by the Englishe of the united Collonies and all the Dutch nation, without any encroachment or molestation, until a full determination be agreed upon in Europe, by mutual consent of the two states of England and Holland. . . Symon Bradstreete Tho: Bruce Tho: Willet Between 1650 and 1675 rivalry for the carrying trade of the world gave rise to three wars between Holland and England. An incident in this struggle was the seizure of New Netherland, in 1664, by an English expedition and the transfer of the control of the Dutch colony to the King's brother, James, Duke of York. The town council of New Amsterdam described the surrender of the colony to the English in the following letter written to the Directors of the West India Company at Amsterdam : RIGHT HONORABLE LORDS: We, your Honors' loyal, sorrowful, and desolate subjects cannot neglect nor keep from relating the event, which through God's pleasure thus unexpectedly happened to us in consequence of your Honors' neglect and forgetfulness of your promise to wit, the arrival here, of late, of four King's frigates from England, sent hither by his Majesty and his brother, the Duke of York, with commission to reduce not only this place, but also the whole New Netherland under his Majesty's authority, whereunto they brought with them a large body of soldiers, provided with considerable ammunition. On board of one of the frigates were about four hundred and fifty as well soldiers as seamen, and the others in proportion. The frigates being come together in front of Najac in the Bay,1 Richard Nicolls, the admiral, who is ruling here at present as Governor, sent a letter to our Director General [Stuyvesant], communicating therein the cause of his coming and his wish. On this unexpected letter, the General sent for us to determine what was to be done herein. Whereupon it was resolved and decided to send some commissioners thither to argue the matter with the General [Nicolls] and his commissioners, who were so sent for this purpose twice, but received no answer, than that they [the English] were not come here to dispute about it, but to execute their order and commission without fail, either peaceably or by force, and if they [the Dutch] had anything to dispute about it, it must be done with His Majesty of England. . . . But meanwhile they were not idle; they approached with their four frigates, two of which passed in front of the fort, the other anchored about Nooten [Governor's] Island, and with five companies of soldiers encamped themselves at the ferry, opposite this place, together with a newly raised company of horse and a party of new soldiers, both from the North and from Long Island, mostly our deadly enemies, who expected nothing else than pillage, plunder, and bloodshed, as men could perceive by their cursing and talking, when mention was made of a capitulation. Finally, being then surrounded, we saw little means of deliverance; we resolved what ought to be here done, and after we had well inquired into our strength and had found it to be full fifteen hundred souls strong in this place, but of whom not two hundred and fifty men are capable of bearing arms exclusive of the soldiers, who were about one hundred and fifty strong, wholly unprovided with powder both in the city and in the fort; yea, not more than six hundred pounds were found in the fort, besides seven hundred pounds unserviceable; also because the farmers, the third 1 Nyack or Gravesend Bay, just below the Narrows, between New Utrecht and Coney Island. man of whom was called out, refused, we with the greater portion of the inhabitants considered it necessary to remonstrate with our Director General and Council, that their Honors might consent to a capitulation, whereunto we labored according to our duty and had much trouble; and laid down and considered all the difficulties, which should arise from our not being able to resist such an enemy, as they besides could receive a much greater force than they had under their command. The Director Generall and Council at length consented thereunto, whereto commissioners were sent to the admiral, who notified him that it was resolved to come to terms in order to prevent the shedding of blood, if a good agreement could be concluded. Six persons were commissioned on each side for this purpose to treat on this matter, as they have done and concluded in manner as appears by the articles annexed. How that will result time shall tell., Meanwhile, since we have no longer to depend on your Honors' promises of protection, we, with all the poor, sorrowing and abandoned commonalty here, must fly for refuge to Almighty God, not doubting but He will stand by us in this sorely afflicting conjunction and no more depart from us: And we remain Your sorrowful and abandoned subjects Pieter Tonneman [and six others] Done in Jorck [York] heretofore named Amsterdam in New Netherland Anno 1664, the 16th September. The "articles annexed," to which the councilmen refer, granted very liberal terms to the surrendered Dutchmen. Even the stern old Governor Stuyvesant came back from Holland to live under the English government at his farm, the "Great Bouwery," until his death in 1672. In the articles it was stated that . . . 3. All people shall still continue free denizens, and enjoy their lands, houses, goods, shipps, wheresoever they are within this country. . . . |