USA > New York > New York County > Manhattan > Annals of old Manhattan, 1609-1664 > Part 5
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Annals of Old Manhattan they had faith in the patroon, from whose lips they said they " had never heard lies, as they had from other Swannekens.I"
At the Fort, gifts from Kieft cemented an informal treaty, but the governor's request that these chiefs would persuade representa- tives of the River tribes to come to New Am- sterdam for conference, did not secure the desired results. The injured savages were not easily appeased, and although the sachem of the Hackensacks made a covenant of peace for some neighboring tribes, the presents given failed to satisfy, and the colonists lived in constant fear of attack. At midsummer a friendly Indian warned De Vries that danger was impending, and, at the patroon's request, went with him to warn the director.
Kieft, ignorant and impolitic, tried to bribe the messenger to put to death the foes of the Dutch, but his proffered gifts were indig- Indian name for the Dutch.
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nantly spurned by the savage. "Had you at first fully atoned for your murders," he de- clared, " they would have been forgotten; I shall do my best to pacify my people, but fear I cannot, as they are continually crying out for vengeance."
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VIII The Indian War-whoop. 1643-1646
E ARLY in the autumn of 1643 the war-whoop was sounded. Near New Rochelle the home of Anne Hutchinson was burned, and the family murdered, with the exception of one little girl who was carried into captivity. At Pavonia and Hackensack, bouweries weresur- prised, houses burned, and soldiers slaughtered. West Chester and Long Island were made " almost destitute of inhabitants and stock"; and on Manhattan Island not more than half a dozen bouweries remained undestroyed. The fort at New Amsterdam was almost in ruins, but only within its barriers was there protection for the colonists and for their starv- ing cattle. Seven allied tribes, " well supplied with muskets, powder and ball," threatened
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this place of refuge, and for defense the Dutch could muster only about two hundred soldiers.
When the Eight Men were again convoked, two ships belonging to the West India Com- pany lay before the fort, loaded with provi- sions for Curaçoa. It was proposed to take possession of the cargoes, and to draft the crews into service on land. The council voted also to apply for aid from the New England col- onies, and as a guaranty of payment for their troops to offer a mortgage upon the territory of New Netherland.1 Kieft considered the first proposition "inexpedient," but dis- patched ambassadors to seek assistance at New Haven, who soon returned to the disheart- ened Dutch bearing a refusal of their request, on the ground that the English "were not satisfied that the war with the Indians was just."
The destruction of the colony seemed im- I Hol. Doc. III, 116, 117.
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minent, and De Vries, having again lost all his possessions, resolved to return to Holland. He parted from Kieft with the prophecy, " The murders in which you have shed so much innocent blood will yet be revenged upon your own head."
Only through aid from Holland could the colonists hope for rescue, and an appeal signed by each of the Eight Men was addressed to the College of XIX,' while another letter sent to the States General carried to that august body a statement of the trials endured by the people of New Netherland. " We have no means of defense against a savage foe," they wrote, "and we have a miserable despot to rule over us."
When hostilities were reopened, disgraceful atrocities again marked the warfare of the Dutch. On suspicion of treachery among the Canarsee Indians, a force under command I Hol. Doc. III, 134-140.
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of La Montagne, Cook, and Underhill, sent to surprise them, killed over a hundred, and brought several prisoners to Fort Amsterdam, where one was forced to perform the death dance of his race, while, armed with long knives, the Dutch soldiers barbarously cutand beat their victim until he dropped dead; and another, also mutilated, was beheaded on a millstone, while the director and La Mon- tagne viewed the deed.' As winter approached, and the colonists found themselves in need of many necessaries of life, a ship from Holland, destined for Rensselaerswijck, was stopped at Fort Amsterdam, and fifty pairs of shoes de- manded, for which Kieft offered to pay in silver, beavers, or wampum. The request hav- ing been refused, the vessel was seized and searched, and on the plea that it contained contraband articles, its cargo of guns and am- munition was confiscated.
I Hol. Doc. III, 121-122.
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Early in the year 1644, the English refugee, Underhill, was sent, with one hundred and fifty men, against the Connecticut Indians, and on a moonlight night approached the village near Greenwich, where, owing to the celebration of a festival, seven hundred savages had gathered. Finding them on their guard, the Dutch charged upon their strong- hold, and although several sallies were made, and the arrows of the besieged effected some damage, the guns of the besiegers were more fatal, and within an hour one hundred and eighty Indians had been killed. Underhill then gave orders to fire the encampment, and, as the savages attempted to escape, they were shot down by foes as cruel as themselves. It is stated that only eight escaped, while among the Dutch but fifteen men were wounded. Again, for a deed of barbarity, Kieft ordered a public thanksgiving, when fasting and repentance would seem to have
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been a more fitting consummation of the affair.
As spring approached, a few Indians ap- peared at Fort Amsterdam and pledged them- selves to peace; but many tribes remained hostile, and their scouts were frequently seen prowling about the town. For protection of straying cattle, a fence was therefore erected "from the great bouwerie across to the plan- tation of Emanuel," covering a line from the North to the East River which Wall Street now partially indicates.
In desperate straits for money to pay the troops, Kieftagain summoned the Eight Men, proposing a tax upon wine, beer, brandy, and beaver; but on the ground that the right of taxation could not be claimed by the gover- nor of a province, the measure was opposed, while Kieft, unwilling to admit such a limi- tation of his authority, defiantly asserted that he was his own master in New Netherland,
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having received his commission from the States General, and not alone from the West India Company. But the people of New Am- sterdam were struggling toward the burgher government which they were soon to attain; and against the proclamation which falsely declared that by advice of the council the duties would be collected, brewers and tap- sters protested, on the ground that if they paid the tax they would "offend the Eight Men and the whole community."
At this juncture, unexpected relief arrived. Driven out of Brazil by the Portuguese, one hundred and thirty Dutch soldiers had arrived at Curaçoa, where Peter Stuyvesant was at that time director for the West India Com- pany. Not needing the troops, Stuyvesant sent them to New Amsterdam under command of Jan de Fries; and upon their opportune arri- val, Kieft decided to "billet the new comers on the commonalty," while procuring the
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clothing they needed by means of the con- temned duties on liquors. The brewers were taxed, not alone for every tun of beer sold, but were ordered to " make a return of the exact quantity they might brew," ' and hav- ing refused obedience to this edict, they were summoned before the council, where " judg- ment was recorded against them and their beer was given as a prize to the soldiers."
Encouraged by the assistance now provided, the director resolved to renew active measures against the Indians; but little was accom- plished during the summer, and after their autumn crops had been secured, the savages grew bolder, and wandering about Manhattan Island by night rendered it so unsafe that "no one dared to fetch a stick of firewood with- out a strong escort."
Remonstrances and petitions to Kieft failed to secure the conditions required for safety, I Hol. Doc. III, 187.
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and at last the Eight Men addressed another memorial to the West India Company. It was prepared by the town surveyor, Andries Hudde, and after detailing the unhappy phases of affairs in the colony, where " fields lie fallow and waste, and dwellings are burned," it stated the complaints concerning the director's arbitrary rule, rested upon him responsibility for the condition of warfare, and warned the Company against relying upon statements written in "the book " Kieft had sent home, which contained, it was as- serted, " as many lies as lines." The paper con- cluded with a petition that a new governor might be sent to the colony, or the afflicted petitioners be permitted to return to the fatherland.
Meanwhile the letter received by the States General in the preceding year had been re- ferred to the West India Company, with commands that immediate relief should be
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sent to the colonists; but the bankrupt cor- poration could only plead their inability to obey, through failure to receive the antici- pated profits from New Netherland. When the second appeal for help was received, the College of XIX, realizing that some measures for immediate relief must be taken, issued orders for Kieft's recall, and appointed Lubbertus Van Dincklagen as temporary oc- cupant of the director's office. While schout- fiscal under Van Twiller, Van Dincklagen had been "well liked by the Indians," and now, having satisfactorily adjusted his affairs with the Company, he was ready to return to New Netherland.
By command of the Amsterdam Chamber, the "Bureau of Accounts" prepared a report which, after reviewing the history of the colony, recommended measures for its "profit and advancement." A conviction was stated that, "without the knowledge, much less the
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order of the XIX, and against the will of the Commonalty there," the province through Kieft's unnecessary wars had fallen into ruin; but could not consistently be abandoned, al- though from 1626 to 1644 it had cost the Company over five hundred and fifty thou- sand guilders.1
It was therefore resolved that the boundary question between the Dutch and English should at once be settled; that the Indians should be appeased; and that the government of New Netherland should be vested in a Supreme Council, consisting of a director, vice-director, and fiscal. Privileges were to be granted to emigrants, manufacturers encour- aged, and colonists settled in towns and vil- lages were to be permitted to choose deputies to represent them at a semi-annual assembly at Manhattan. A garrison of fifty-three sol- diers was to be maintained at Fort Amster- I Brodhead, Hol. Doc.
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dam, where repairs were ordered; and every civilian was commanded to provide himself with a musket. It was also ordained that Kieft should be summoned to justify himself for "the bloody exploit of February, 1643."
There was rejoicing in New Amsterdam when the news of Kieft's recall was received, and the people did not hesitate openly to ex- press their pleasure. Two or three persons, too frank in speech for their own safety, were arrested and fined or banished ; while the di- rector signalized the last period of his rule by conducting affairs in a manner more arbitrary than ever, and refused all right of appeal from his decisions. Dominie Bogardus, having been accused of drunkenness by the highest authority in the Province, in righteous wrath denounced the prosecutor from the pulpit, and encouraged the populace in their antag- onistic sentiments toward him. The quarrel between governor and dominie was an open
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one, and Bogardus, braving a violation of the law, refused to obey when cited to appear be- fore the court, and rejected the proposition to refer the case to the other clergymen, Dough- ty and Megapolensis; while Kieft absented himself from church, and encouraged noisy amusements during the hours of service. At last the tangled woof of affairs was somewhat smoothed, through the interference of peace- makers, and arrangements having been made for Dominie Megapolensis to occupy the pul- pit on a certain Sunday, Kieft again appeared in church.
Meantime entanglements with the Swedes on the South River were of frequent occur- rence, and New England colonists, complain- ing of " insufferable disorders" at Fort Hope, declared themselves "much unsatisfied " with the view of affairs taken by the governor of New Netherland. But the close of Kieft's administration was to be marked by one
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atoning episode. When the spring of 1645 opened, Indian delegates appeared at Fort Amsterdam desiring to consummate a treaty of peace. Kieft was now as eager to secure tranquillity as he had been to execute those deeds that precipitated the war. He followed without hesitation the advice of his council, and, having entered into an agreement with the Indian emissaries, secured their services for negotiations with tribes who continued hostile. Through diplomacy more was ac- complished than had been gained by all the powder and shot the Dutch had used, and in a short time peace was established with all the savage tribes in the vicinity of Man- hattan.
On the 29th of August, 1645, summoned by the sound of the bell, the citizens gathered at Fort Amsterdam to listen to the articles of the peace treaty, with the assurance that " if any could give good advice he might de-
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clare his opinions freely." On the following day, in front of the fort, dark doublets and peaked hats were in vivid contrast with feath- ered and bead-ornamented costumes, when Dutch and Indians met to smoke the pipe of peace and to take pledges of eternal friend- ship. Henceforth no armed Indian was to ap- proach the houses of the colonists and no armed Dutchman was to visit a village of the savages, unless with a native escort. The treaty of Fort Amsterdam brought security and joy once more to the province, and the day of thanksgiving next appointed was heartily ob- served.
When news of the consummation of peace reached Holland, the officers of the West India Company were divided in opinion con- cerning the policy to be pursued in the government of New Netherland, and Van Dincklagen's departure was delayed. His pro- visional appointment was finally revoked,
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when Peter Stuyvesant was named for the of- fice of director, with Van Dinklagen as vice- director, and Hendrick Van Dyck as fiscal. The three officials took oaths of office in July, 1646 ; but before their departure from Hol- land, a document was presented to the States General, embodying Stuyvesant's views con- cerning the government of New Netherland, and a prolonged discussion of those theories followed, while Kieft continued to rule at Manhattan.
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有饭
LOSSING- BARRITT
THE GOVERNOR'S HOUSE AND THE CHURCH IN THE FORT, UNDER THE DUTCH
IX Peaceful Progress
S OME progress was made in ways of peace during the stormy years of Kieft's administration, and one of the most important works ac- complished was the erection of a new church. When, during a council dinner, De Vries had contrasted the sacred edifices of New England with the small wooden church in New Am- sterdam, his comments were so disparaging to Dutch piety that the governor was stimu- lated to the desire to erect a more imposing place of worship, and a favorable occasion for soliciting contributions for this work was soon found. At the marriage of Sara Roelofs, the eldest daughter of Anneke Jans, to the surgeon, Hans Kierstede, "after the fourth or fifth round of drinking " De Vries passed
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a subscription paper, which he and the gover- nor had headed, and a goodly sum was se- cured. Although next morning some of the company " well repented their generosity," Kieft forbade any subscription to be with- drawn; and a contract was promptly signed with John and Richard Ogden of Stamford, Conn., for the erection of a stone church seventy-two feet long, fifty-two wide, and sixteen "over the ground." The sum of twenty-five hundred guilders was agreed up- on for the work, with one hundred more if it proved satisfactory. The building was soon begun, and the governor proclaimed his own share in its erection by an inscription upon a stone in the front wall which stated that
"Anno Domini, 1642, William Kieft, Director General hath the Commonalty caused to build this temple."
For security against the Indians a site had
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been chosen within the walls of the fort, and in honor of a tutelary genius of the father- land, the edifice was called the Church of St. Nicholas. When completed, five years later, its actual cost had amounted to eight thousand guilders.
The old church building was in time util- ized as a store, where Allard Anthony is re- corded to have traded " a hanger " to Jan Van Clief, for "as much buckwheat as An- thony's fowls will eat in six months." I Among other substantial buildings were the Company's storehouses and bakery, and the tavern, erected in 1642.
The trading facilities at New Amsterdam brought from Fort Orange, New England, and Virginia, a greater number of visitors than the governor found it convenient to en- tertain, and at the Company's expense the fine stone tavern was built, with its " crow-step I Mrs. Lamb's History of New York.
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gables " and brick-floored " stoup." It stood alone, facing the water, on ground that was later called Parel Straat, from the many shells that lined its shore, at a period when the land forming the present Water, Front and South streets was all beneath the tide. Within this primitive predecessor of many city hostelries, it was the duty of the "goode vrouw" or her maid to show the traveller to his room and open for him the bedstead, and, after he had retired, to return and blow out the candle. In the morning the curtains must be drawn at the hour he had fixed to rise.
The fort occupied the space now bounded by Bowling Green, Whitehall, Bridge and State streets, and around its walls were clustered the humble homes of the first settlers. Before many streets were laid out, there were two roads from the fort, one extending in a northerly direc- tion and destined to become De Heere Straat, the early Broadway; while the other, along
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the water-front, led to the ferry which, about 1642, was opened to Long Island. The land- ing-place on Manhattan Island was near the spot now occupied by Peck's Slip, and on Long Island, at a point almost identical with the present terminus of Fulton Ferry. Cornelis Dircksen, whose bouwerie on Manhattan lay in the vicinity of the landing, was summoned by a horn which hung against a tree, and for three stivers in wampum carried the passen- ger in his skiff to the opposite shore.
After roads had been planned, the houses were built with gable ends upon these high- ways. The first dwellings had usually two rooms on the ground floor and a garret above; but when larger houses were erected, an acute angle of roof elevation above the wall was considered a mark of aristocratic pretension, and often gave room for garret, loft, and cock- loft. The great fireplaces were sometimes six feet in height, with a stone oven at the side.
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About 1660 a brickyard was established on Manhattan Island, and opportunity was af- forded for architectural decoration when, to avoid waste, the bricks that were baked black were used for ornamental designs or distinc- tive checker-work upon the gable ends of new domiciles. The home of Jeronimus Eb- bing, in Brouwer Straat, was distinguished above its neighbors as a building of brick, two stories high; and Peter Cornelisen Vander- vier's house, on the corner of the present Whitehall and Pearl streets, attained honor- able mention for the same reason. Great care was taken in the selection of material for the low, unplastered ceilings, whose beams were often ornamented with carvings. The aver- age value of a dwelling was about one hun- dred and twenty-five dollars, and an average house-rent about twenty-five dollars per an- num. Hendrick Van Dyck and his wife Du- vertie Cornelisen, who lived on the west side
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of the Heere Straat, possessed some notable shade trees, imported from Holland, as well as a still more famous peach orchard. There is a record of a wedding at their house in 1655, when their daughter Lydia married Nicholas De Meyer, and a rival lover came as unbidden guest to interrupt the festivities.
On one corner of Whitehall and Pearl streets a swinging sign gave notice that Surgeon Hans Kierstede dispensed drugs, performed ampu- tations, and extracted teeth ; and between Wall Street and Maiden Lane extended the bou- werie of Jan Jansen Damen. Mrs. Damen appears to have been a woman of unfettered action and great freedom of expression. She is credited with having influenced her son- in-law Van Tienhoven to slaughter the In- dians, and her name has descended to history as that of a Dutch daughter of Herodius, who danced through the lanes of New Amster- dam with the bleeding head of a savage.
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An inlet of the bay extended over the line of the present Broad Street, and into this a marshy district, lying above the Beaver's Path, was drained by a brook which came from the sheep pasture on the north. The canal, six- teen feet wide, was known as De Heere Gracht (the Great Drain). Soon after the incorpora- tion of the city, its sides were lined with planks, and its banks were then considered a desira- ble locality for the finest residences. The first mention of "Smid's Vleye" or the Smith's Valley occurs in De Vries' "Voyages." It was the old name for the marshy ground between Pine, Fulton, and Pearl streets, and it is re- corded that on one of the patroon's visits to New Amsterdam, his ship being in need of re- pairs, was hauled into the "Smid's Vleye."
As early as 1643, a lot opposite the Bowl- ing Green was granted to Martin Cregier, probably the first lot laid out on the Heere Straat. For a house-lot, thirty by one hundred
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View of the "GRAFT", or Canal, in Broad Street, and the FISH BRIDGE, 1659
Peaceful Progress
and twenty-five feet, the average price at that time was equivalent to twelve dollars, but a transfer is on record of a lot thirty feet front by one hundred and ten deep for nine dollars and sixty cents. This property, located on what was later known as Bridge Street, was con- veyed by Abraham Van Steenwijck to An- thony Van Fees.
When the settlement had attained to the employment of a herdsman, the cattle were every morning driven out to "the Flat," the locality of the present City Hall Park, whence at evening they were guided home through the cherry orchard, and along the borders of the swamp.
The Dutch settlements on Long Island had hitherto been chiefly confined to the dis- tricts known as the Waal-boght and the Roode Hoek, but Kieft bought large tracts of land from the Canarsie Indians, and after the grant to Lord Stirling, the English set-
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tlers on the eastern end of the island came often in conflict with their "noxious neigh- bors," the Dutch.
Soon after 1642, a group of houses known as "The Ferry" were clustered about the boat-landing, while bouweries bordered the heights, and extended inland along the line of the present Fulton Street. In 1646, the settlers requested permission " to found a town at their ownexpense," and Kieft, promptly giving per- mission for the deed, confirmed the election of Jan Evartsen Bout and Huyck Aertsen as first schepens of Breuckelen.
There are records of some bickerings among the early colonists besides those between the governor and the dominie. When Mrs. Bo- gardus, on social duties intent, went to call upon a member of her husband's flock, she discovered upon reaching the entry of the house that another visitor named Grietje Reniers was within. Grietje's reputation in
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the colony was not praiseworthy, and the dominie's wife, wishing to avoid a meeting, decided to postpone the call. But, as she started homeward, Grietje followed, com- menting upon the incident with unpleasant vehemence; and when, in passing a black- smith's shop, where the road was muddy, Annetje slightly raised her skirts, Grietje's remarks concerning the display of pretty feet were very disagreeable. The dominie, to whom they were reported, considered a rep- rimand necessary and the affair was finally brought before the court, by whom Grietje was compelled to pay a fine, while her hus- band, who was in arrears for church dues, was forced promptly to settle those accounts.
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