USA > New York > New York City > A history of New-York : from the beginning of the world to the end of the Dutch dynasty > Part 25
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Thus it was in the present instance ; not a man of all the herd of pseudo politicians in New-Amstel- dam, but was an oracle on topics of state, and could have directed public affairs incomparably better than Peter Stuyvesant. But so severe was the old gover- nor, in his disposition, that he would never suffer one of the multitude of able counsellors by whom he was surrounded, to intrude his advice, and save the country from destruction.
Scarcely, therefore, had he departed on his expe- dition against the Swedes, than the old factions of William Kieft's reign began to thrust their heads- above water, and to gather together in political meetings, to discuss " the state of the nation." At
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these assemblages, the busy burgomasters and their officious schepens made a very considerable figure. These worthy dignitaries were no longer the fat, well-fed, tranquil magistrates that presided in the peaceful days of Wouter Van Twiller-on the con- trary, being elected by the people, they formed in a manner a sturdy bulwark between the moh and the administration. They were great candidates for pop- ularity, and strenuous advocates for the rights of the rabble; resembling in disinterested zeal the wide- mouthed tribunes of ancient Rome, or those virtuous patriots of modern days, emphatically denominated " the friends of the people." -
Under the tuition of these profound politicians, it is astonishing how suddenly enlightened the swinish multitude became, in matters above their compre- hensions. Cobblers, tinkers, and tailors, all at once felt themselves inspired, like those religious idiots, in the glorious times of monkish illumination; and, with- out any previous study or experience, became in- stantly capable of directing all the movements of government. Nor must I neglect to mention a num- ber of superannuated, wrong-headed old burghers, who had come over, when boys, in the crew of the Goede Vrouw, and were held up as infallible oracles by the enlightened mob. To suppose that a man who had helped to discover a country, did not know how it ought to be governed, was preposterous in the extreme. It would have been deemed as much a heresy, as at the present day to question the political talents and universal infallibility of our old "heroes
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of '76"-and to doubt that he who had fought for a government, however stupid he might naturally be, was not competent to fill any station under it.
But as Peter Stuyvesant had a singular inclination to govern his province without the assistance of his subjects, he felt highly incensed on his return to find the factious appearance they had assumed during his absence. His first measure, therefore, was to restore perfect order, by prostrating the dignity of the sov- ereign people.
He accordingly watched his opportunity, and one evening, when the enlightened mob was gathere! together, listening to a patriotic speech from an in spired cobbler, the intrepid Peter all at once ap peared among them, with a countenance sufficient t., petrify a mill-stone. The whole meeting was thrown into consternation-the orator seemed to have re · ceived a paralytic stroke in the very middle of sublime sentence, and stood aghast with open mout's and trembling knees, while the words horror! ty . ranny ! liberty ! rights ! taxes ! death ! destruction ! and a deluge of other patriotic phrases, came roaring from his throat, before he had power to close. his lips. The shrewd Peter took no notice of the skulk- ing throng around him, but advancing to the brawling bully-ruffian, and drawing out a huge silver watch which might have served in times of yore as a town clock, and which is still retained by his descendant; . as a family curiosity, requested the orator to mend it, and set it going. The orator humbly confessed it was utterly out of his power, as he was unacquainted
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with the nature of its construction. "Nay, but," said Peter, " try your ingenuity, man ; you see all the springs and wheels, and how easily the clumsiest hand may stop it, and pull it to pieces ; and why should it not be equally easy to regulate as to stop it?" The orator declared that his trade was wholly different-that he was a poor cobbler, and had never meddled with a watch in his life-that there were men skilled in the art, whose business it was to at- tend to those matters, but for his part, he should only mar the workmanship, and put the whole in confusion -" Why harkee, master of mine," cried Peter, turn- ing suddenly upon him, with a countenance that al- most petrified the patcher of shoes into a perfect lap- stone-" dost thou pretend to meddle with the move- ments of government-to regulate, and correct, and patch, and cobble a complicated machine, the prin- ciples of which are above thy comprehension, and its simplest operations too subtle for thy understand- ing ; when thou canst not correct a trifling error in a common piece of mechanism, the whole mystery of which is open to thy inspection ?-- Hence with thee to the leather and stone, which are emblems of thy head ; cobble thy shoes, and confine thyself to the vocation for which Heaven has fitted thee-But," elevating his voice until it made the welkin ring, “ if ever I catch thee, or any of thy tribe, meddling again with affairs of government, by St. Nicholas, but I'll have every mother's bastard of ye flay'd alive, and your hides stretched for drum-heads, that ye may thenceforth make a noise to some purpose !"
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This threat, and the tremendous voice in which it was uttered, caused the whole multitude to quake with fear. The hair of the orator arose on his head like his own swine's bristles, and not a knight of the thimble present but his heart died within him, and he felt as though he could have verily escaped through the eye of a needle.
But though this measure produced the desired effect in reducing the community to order, yet it tended to injure the popularity of the great Peter among the enlightened vulgar. Many accused him of entertaining highly aristocratic sentiments, and of leaning too much in favour of the patricians. In- deed, there appeared to be some ground for such an accusation, as he always carried himself with a very lofty, soldier-like port, and was somewhat particular in his dress ; dressing himself, when not in uniform, in simple, but rich apparel, and was especially noted for having his sound leg (which was a very comely one) always arrayed in a red stocking, and high- heeled shoe. 'Though a man of great simplicity of manners, yet there was something about him that re- pelled rude familiarity, while it encouraged frank, and even social intercourse.
He likewise observed some appearance of court ceremony and etiquette. He received the common class of visiters on the stoop* before his door, accord- ing to the custom of our Dutch ancestors. But
* Properly spelled stoeb-the porch commonly built in front of Dutch houses, with benches on each side.
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when visiters were formally received in his parlour, it was expected they would appear in clean linen . by no means to be bare-footed, and always to take their hats off. On public occasions, he appeared with great pomp of equipage, (for, in truth, his sta- tion required a little show and dignity,) and always rode to church in a yellow wagon with flaming red wheels.
These symptoms of state and ceremony occasioned considerable discontent among the vulgar. They had been accustomed to find easy access to their former governors, and in particular had lived on terms of extreme familiarity with William the Testy. They therefore were very impatient of these dignified pre- cautions, which discouraged intrusion. But Peter Stuyvesant had his own way of thinking in these matters, and was a staunch upholder of the dignity of office.
He always maintained that government to be the least popular which is most open to popular access and control; and that the very brawlers against court ceremony, and the reserve of men in power, would soon despise rulers among whom they found even themselves to be of consequence. Such, at least, had been the case with the administration of William the Testy; who, bent on making himself popular, had listened to every man's advice, suffered every body to have admittance to his person at all hours, and, in a word, treated every one as his thorough equal. By this means, every scrub politician, and public busy body, was enabled to measure wits with
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him, and to find out the true dimensions, not only of his person, but his mind-And what great man can stand such scrutiny ?- It is the mystery that envelops great men that gives them half their greatness. We are always inclined to think highly of those who hold themselves aloof from our examination. There is likewise a kind of superstitious reverence for office, which leads us to exaggerate the merits and abilities of men in power, and to suppose that they must be constituted different from other men. And, indeed, faith is as necessary in politics as in religion. It certainly is of the first importance, that a country should be governed by wise men ; but then it is al- most equally important, that the people should believe them to be wise ; for this belief alone can produce willing subordination.
To keep up, therefore, this desirable confidence in rulers, the people should be allowed to see as little of them as possible. He who gains access to cabi- nets soon finds out by what foolishness the world is governed. He discovers that there is quackery in legislation, as well as in every thing else ; that many a measure, which is supposed by the million to be the result of great wisdom and deep deliberation, is the effect of mere chance, or, perhaps, of hairbrained experiment-that rulers have their whims and errors as well as other men, and after all are not so won- derfully superior to their fellow-creatures as he at first imagined ; since he finds that even his own opinions have had some weight with them. Thus awe subsides into confidence, confidence inspires
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familiarity, and familiarity produces contempt. Peter Stuyvesant, on the contrary, by conducting himself with dignity and loftiness, was looked up to with great reverence. As he never gave his reasons for any thing he did, the public always gave him credit for very profound ones-every movement, however intrinsically unimportant, was a matter of specula tion, and his very red stockings excited some respect, as being different from the stockings of other men.
To these times may we refer the rise of family pride and aristocratic distinctions ;* and indeed, I cannot but look back with reverence to the early planting of those mighty Dutch families, which have taken such vigorous root, and branched out so luxu- riantly in our state. The blood which has flowed down uncontaminated through a succession of steady, virtuous generations since the times of the patriarchs of Communipaw, must certainly be pure and worthy. And if so, then are the Van Rensselaers, the Van Zandts, the Van Hornes, the Rutgers, the Bensons, the Brinkerhoffs, the Schermerhornes, and all the true descendants of the ancient Pavonians, the only legitimate nobility and real lords of the soil.
I have been led to mention thus particularly the well-authenticated claims of our genuine Dutch fam-
* In a work published many years after the time here treated of, (in 1701, by C. W. A. M.) it is mentioned that Frederick Philipse was counted the richest Mynher in New-York, and was said to have whole hogsheads of Indian money or wampum ; and had a son and daughter, who, according to the Dutch custom, should divide it equally.
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ilies, because I have noticed with great sorrow and vexation, that they have been somewhat elbowed aside in latter days by foreign intruders. It is really astonishing to behold how many great families have sprung up of late years, who pride themselves exces- sively on the score of ancestry. Thus he who can look up to his father without humiliation assumes not a little importance-he who can safely talk of his grandfather, is still more vain-glorious-but he who can look back to his great-grandfather without blush- ing, is absolutely intolerable in his pretensions to fam- ily-bless us ! what a piece of work is here, between these mushrooms of an hour, and these mushrooms of a day !
But from what I have recounted in the . former part of this chapter, I would not have my reader imagine that the great Peter was a tyrannical gov- ernor, ruling his subjects with a rod of iron-on the contrary, where the dignity of authority was not implicated, he abounded with generosity and cour- teous condescension. In fact, he really believed, though I fear my more enlightened republican readers will consider it a proof of his ignorance and illiber ality, that in preventing the cup of social life from being dashed with the intoxicating ingredient of pol- itics, he promoted the tranquillity and happiness of the people-and by detaching their minds from sub- jects which they could not understand, and which only tended to inflame their passions, he enabled them to attend more faithfully and industriously to
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their proper callings; becoming more useful citizens, and more attentive to their families and fortunes.
So far from having any unreasonable austerity, he delighted to see the poor and the labouring man re- ioice, and for this purpose was a great promoter of holydays and public amusements. Under his reign was first introduced the custom of cracking eggs at Paas, or Easter. New-year's day was also observed with extravagant festivity, and ushered in by the ring- ing of bells and firing of guns. Every house was a temple to the jolly god-oceans of cherry brandy, true Hollands, and mulled cider, were set afloat on the occasion; and not a poor man in town, but made it a point to get drunk, out of a principle of pure economy-taking in liquor enough to serve him for half a year afterwards.
It would have done one's heart good, also, to have seen the valiant Peter, seated among the old burgh- ers and their wives of a Saturday afternoon, under the great trees that spread their shade over the Bat- tery, watching the young men and women, as they danced on the green. Here he would smoke his pipe, crack his joke, and forget the rugged toils of war in the sweet oblivious festivities of peace. He would occasionally give a nod of approbation to those of the young men who shuffled and kicked most vigo. rously, and now and then give a hearty smack, in all honesty of soul, to the buxom lass that held out long- est, and tired down all her competitors, which he considered as infallible proofs of her being the best dancer. Once, it is true, the harmony of the meeting VOL. IJ. 0
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was rather interrupted. A young vrouw, of great figure in the gay world, and who, having lately come from Holland, of course led the fashions in the city, made her appearance in not more than half-a-dozen petticoats, and these too of most alarming shortness An universal whisper ran through the assembly, the old ladies all felt shocked in the extreme, the young ladies blushed, and felt excessively for the " poor thing," and even the governor himself was observed to be a little troubled in mind. To complete the astonishment of the good folks, she undertook, in the course of a jig, to describe some astonishing figures in algebra, which she had learned from a dancing- master at Rotterdam. Whether she was too animated in flourishing her feet, or whether some vagabond zephyr took the liberty of obtruding his services, cer- tain it is that in the course of a grand evolution, which would not have disgraced a modern ball-room, she made a most unexpected display-whereat the whole assembly was thrown into great admiration, several grave country members were not a little moved, and the good Peter himself, who was a man of unparalleled modesty, felt himself grievously scan- dalized.
The shortness of the female dresses, which had continued in fashion ever since the days of William Kieft, had long offended his eye, and though ex- tremely averse to meddling with the petticoats of the ladies, yet he immediately recommended that every one should be furnished with a flounce to the bottom. He likewise ordered that the ladies, and indeed the
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gentlemen, should use no other step in dancing, than shuffle-and-turn, and double-trouble ; and forbade, under pain of his high displeasure, any young lady thenceforth to attempt what was termed " exhibiting the graces."
These were the only restrictions he ever imposed upon the sex, and these were considered by them as tyrannical oppressions, and resisted with that becom- ing spirit, always manifested by the gentle sex, when- ever their privileges are invaded .- In fact, Peter Stuyvesant plainly perceived, that if he attempted to push the matter any farther, there was danger of their leaving off petticoats altogether ; so like a wise man, experienced in the ways of women, he held his peace, and suffered them ever after to wear their petticoats and cut their capers as high as they pleased.
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CHAPTER II.
How Peter Stuyvesant was much molested by the Moss- troopers of the East, and the Giants of Merryland -and how a dark and horrid conspiracy was car- ried on in the British Cabinet against the prosperity of the Manhattoes.
WE are now approaching towards the crisis of our work, and if I be not mistaken in my forebod- ings, we shall have a world of business to despatch in the ensuing chapters.
It is with some communities, as it is with certain meddlesome individuals, they have a wonderful fa- cility at getting into scrapes ; and I have always re- marked, that those are most liable to get in, who have the least talent at getting out again. This is, doubtless, owing to the excessive valour of those states ; for I have likewise noticed that this rampant and ungovernable quality is always most unruly where most confined; which accounts for its vapour- ing so amazingly in little states, little men, and ugly little women especially.
Thus, when one reflects, that the province of the Manhattoes, though of prodigious importance in the eyes of its inhabitants and its historian, was really of no very great consequence in the eyes of the rest of the world; that it had but little wealth or other spoils to reward the trouble of assailing it, and that
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it had nothing to expect from running wantonly into war, save an exceeding good beating .- On pondering these things, I say, one would utterly despair of find- ing in its history either battles or bloodshed, or any other of those calamities which give importance to a nation, and entertainment to the reader. But, on the contrary, we find, so valiant is this province, that it has already drawn upon itself a host of enemies ; has had as many buffetings as would gratify the am- bition of the most warlike nation ; and is, in sober sadness, a very forlorn, distressed, and woe-begone little province !- all which was, no doubt, kindly or- dered by Providence, to give interest and sublimity to this pathetic history.
But I forbear to enter into a detail of the pitiful maraudings and harassments, that, for a long while after the victory on the Delaware, continued to insult the dignity, and disturb the repose, of the Neder- landers. Suffice it in brevity to say, that the impla- cable hostility of the people of the east, which had so miraculously been prevented from breaking out, as my readers must remember, by the sudden preva- lence of witchcraft, and the dissensions in the coun- cil of Amphyctions, now again displayed itself in a thousand grievous and bitter scourings upon the borders.
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Scarcely a month passed but what the Dutch set- tlements on the frontiers were alarmed by the sudden appearance of an invading army from Connecticut. This would advance resolutely through the country, like a puissant caravan of the deserts, the women
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and children mounted in carts loaded with pots and kettles, as though they meant to boil the honest Dutchmen alive, and devour them like so many lob- sters. At the tails of these carts would stalk a crew of long-limbed, lank-sided varlets, with axes on their shoulders and packs on their backs, resolutely bent upon improving the country in despite of its pro- prietors. These, settling themselves down, would in a short time completely dislodge the unfortunate Nederlanders ; elbowing them out of those rich bot- toms and fertile valleys, in which our Dutch yeoman- ry are so famous for nestling themselves. For it is notorious, that wherever these shrewd men of the east get a footing, the honest Dutchmen do gradually disappear, retiring slowly, like the Indians before the whites ; being totally discomfited by the talking, chaffering, swapping, bargaining disposition of their new neighbours.
All these audacious infringements on the territories of their High Mightinesses were accompanied, as has before been hinted, by a world of rascally brawls, ribroastings, and bundlings, which would doubtless have incensed the valiant Peter to wreak immediate chastisement, had he not at the very same time been perplexed by distressing accounts from Mynher Beck- man, who commanded the territories at South river.
The restless Swedes, who had so graciously been suffered to remain about the Delaware, already be- gan to show signs of mutiny and disaffection. But what was worse, a peremptory claim was laid to the whole territory, as the rightful property of Lord Bal-
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timore, by Fendal, a chieftain who ruled over the colony of Maryland, or Merry-land, as it was an- ciently called, because that the inhabitants, not hav- ing the fear of the Lord before their eyes, were no- toriously prone to get fuddled and make merry with mint-julep and apple-toddy. Nay, so hostile was this bully Fendal, that he threatened, unless his claim was instantly complied with, to march incontinent!y at the head of a potent force of the roaring boys of Merryland, together with a great and mighty train of giants, who infested the banks of the Susquehanna* -- and to lay waste and depopulate the whole coun- try of South river.
By this it is manifest, that this boasted colony, like all great acquisitions of territory, soon became a greater evil to the conqueror than the loss of it was to the conquered; and caused greater uneasiness and trouble than all the territory of the New-Neth- erlands besides. Thus Providence wisely orders that
* We find very curious and wonderful accounts of these strange people (who were doubtless the ancestors of the present Marylanders) made by Master Hariot, in his interesting history " The Susquesahanocks," observes he, "are a giantly people strange in proportion, behaviour, and attire-their voice sound- ing from them as if out of a cave. Their tobacco-pipes were three quarters of a yard long, carved at the great end with a bird, beare, or other device, sufficient to beat out the braines of a horse, (and how many asses braines are beaten out, or rather men's braines smoked out, and asses braines haled in, by our lesser pipes at home.) The calfe of one of their legges measured three quarters of a yard about, the rest of his limbs proportionable."-Master Hariot's Journ. Purch. Pil.
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one evil shall balance another. The conqueror wno wrests the property of his neighbour, who wrongs a nation and desolates a country, though he may ac- quire increase of empire and immortal fame, yet in- sures his own inevitable punishment. He takes t himself a cause of endless anxiety-he incorporates with his late sound domain a loose part-a rotten disaffected member; which is an exhaustless source of internal treason and disunion, and external alter- cation and hostility. Happy is that nation, which compact, united, loyal in all its parts, and concen- trated in its strength, seeks no idle acquisition of un- profitable and ungovernable territory-which, con- tent to be prosperous and happy, has no ambition to be great. It is like a man well organized in his sys- tem, sound in health, and full of vigour; unencum- bered by useless trappings, and fixed in an unshaken attitude. But the nation, insatiable of territory, whose domains are scattered, feebly united and weakly organized, is like a senseless miser sprawling among golden stores, open to every attack, and unable to defend the riches he vainly endeavours to over- shadow.
At the time of receiving the alarming despatches from South river, the great Peter was busily employ- ed in quelling certain Indian troubles that had broken out about Esopus, and was moreover meditating how to relieve his eastern borders on the Connecticut. He, however, sent word to Mynher Beckman to be of good heart, to maintain incessant vigilance, and to
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let him know if matters wore a more threatening ap- pearance ; in which case he would incontinently re- pair with his warriors of the Hudson, to spoil the merriment of these Merry-landers ; for he coveted exceedingly to have a bout, hand to hand, with some half a score of these giants-having never encoun- tered a giant in his whole life, unless we may so call the stout Risingh, and he was but a little one.
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