USA > New York > New York City > Dutch New York (early history of the Dutch in New York) > Part 25
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Although the colonists welcomed permanent settlers, they had a great antipathy for itinerant traders; and a law had been made to the effect that whoever wished to engage in trade in New Netherland must keep " fire and light," - in other words, he must have a dwelling. By charter, Manhattan was made the emporium and had been invested with " staple right." The residents were, however, greatly annoyed by the constantly in-
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creasing " Scotchmen," or peddlers, who on arrival hastened to the interior and procured their furs and other commodities and returned home. The burgo- masters and schepens, therefore, in 1657, petitioned the Director that no persons but city burghers should be allowed to trade in the capital, and none but " settled residents to trade in any quarter hereabout, without this place."
The provincial government, considering the petition a just one, established the Great and Small Burgher right " in conformity to the laudable custom of the city of Amsterdam in Europe." Those who wished to be- long to the Great Burgher class had to pay fifty guil- ders, and " all such and such only shall hereafter be qualified to fill all the city offices and dignities." They were also exempt for one year and six weeks from watches and expeditions and were " free in their proper persons from arrest by any subaltern court or judicial benches of this province." This class included the pres- ent and future burgomasters and schepens and the Di- rector, councilors, clergymen, and military officers with their male descendants. The class of Small Burghers included all natives and all who had lived in this city a year and six weeks, all who had married or should marry the daughters of burghers, all who kept stores and shops, or did business within the city, and all sala- ried officers of the Company. " Arriving traders " were ordered before selling their goods " to set up and keep an open store within the gates and walls of New Amsterdam," for which they had to obtain from the burgomasters and schepens the Small Burgher right, for the sum of twenty guilders, which went to the sup- port of the city.
In March, 1648, the nine elected Selectmen verify
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the daily decline and violation of Trade and Navigation, proceeding for the most part from the underselling, frauds, smuggling, perpetrated by the one against the other, principally by such as take little or no interest in this new growing Province and feel little concern and care for its prosperity and welfare, and, therefore, do not benefit it either by Bouweries or Buildings, but solely applying themselves with small capital and cargoes ( for which they hire for a brief period only one large room or house) to the Beaver and Fur Trade, and having traded and trucked said peltries from the good Inhabi- tants, or the Natives sufficiently high beyond their value, have recourse to all sorts of means, by night and at un- seasonable hours, to convey them secretly out of the Country, or to the North, without paying the proper duty thereon; and having enriched themselves by these and other illicit practices and means, they take their departure and go back home without conferring or bestowing any benefit on this Province or the Inhabitants thereof. By this underselling and fraudulent trade, the Wares and Merchandizes of others who, by means of Bouweries or with handsome Buildings in regard to this place, interest themselves in the Country, are depreciated and remain unsold to their great loss and damage.
In 1657, it was found more every day that great frauds and smuggling were committed by the impor- tation of merchandise under the name and cloak of sailors' freight, and measures were taken to stop it.
Smuggling and piracy were popular and profitable activities of the honest burghers. In 1654, an ordinance was passed against harboring robbers and pirates, but the most pious were not above illicit traffic. In July, 1659, Stuyvesant writes to the Directors in Holland :
All possible care shall be continually taken to prevent smuggling, in pursuance of the placats, heretofore passed and now sent us by you in print. In the meantime, we
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await anxiously the further and stricter orders, to be issued at your request by their High : Might :; after hav- ing received these, we shall vigorously carry them out to the best of our ability. Your recommendations to the Fischal on this subject have been communicated to him by reading your Honors' letter, which we further im- pressed upon his mind by some earnest words. The order, to place some faithful soldiers on board while the freight is discharged and the Fiscal makes his search, is and always has been observed. In order to prevent corruption, they are often relieved every day and we have promised and paid not only to these soldiers, but also to everybody else, whatever position he may have, free man and Com- pany's servant, who discovers and reports an attempt at smuggling one full third share, as shown by our Resolu- tion and the placat publishing the same of the 23d of April, 1658.
In 1659, the Company consented to the
experiment of a foreign commerce with France, Spain, Italy, the Carribean Islands, and elsewhere, upon con- dition that the vessels should return with their cargoes either to New Netherland, or to Amsterdam, and that furs should be exported to Holland alone.
Elizabethan ethics, of the school of Drake, Hawkins, Cumberland, Raleigh, and Frobisher, still prevailed. If the Spaniard was shy and prizes were scarce, a vessel belonging to a brother trader of your own port was regarded as fair quarry. Thus, in September, 1644, John Wilcox charged Mr. Clercq with fitting out a pri- vateer to capture and make prize of plaintiff's ship, asking that the defendant's vessel might be detained in port. In July, 1648, Jacob Reynsen and Jacob Scher- merhorn for smuggling were banished for five years and their property confiscated. This sentence was too severe for the popular taste, and was recalled three weeks later.
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In May, 1648, Hans Hansen, for fourteen years a re- spectable resident of New Amsterdam, was pardoned for smuggling on condition that he beg pardon of God and of the court.
In 1654, the Director-General and Council are in- formed that " pirates and vagabonds are countenanced, favoured, harboured, entertained, and supported by subjects and inhabitants having fixed domicile, and are so encouraged and incited that some have dared to spy into even this city under the colour and guise of travellers." Therefore a fine of twenty-four guilders was ordered for neglect to report strangers.
Pirates infested the shores of the East River and committed ravages around New Amsterdam and on Long Island. They were chiefly English, and many of the English settlers were accused of communication with them. Sir Henry Moody at Gravesend joined in accusing Captain John Manning of carrying on an unlawful trade. The Governor raised troops and com- missioned several yachts to act against the pirates. Manning was arrested and tried in New Haven in April, 1654; his vessel was condemned and sold " by inch of candle " as a lawful prize. In 1653, Thomas Baxter, a resident of New Amsterdam, turned pirate and com- mitted outrages on Long Island. He seized in Heem- stede harbor a vessel belonging to New Plymouth and captured a Dutch boat. Stuyvesant sent out two boats with a hundred men to blockade Baxter in Fairfield Roads. Baxter was finally arrested by the authorities of New Haven and Hartford. He was surrendered by Stuyvesant's requisition, but escaped from jail. His house and ship at New Amsterdam were sold.
The " constant and profitable correspondence with foreigners and pirates " had been "diligently ob- structed " by Andros, by order of James II, " which
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was very disagreeable to many persons who had even grown old in that way of trade."
Piratical trade had attained vast proportions under the Dutch rule, but under the early English governors of New York the evil grew to an almost incredible ex- tent. The chief task allotted to the Earl of Bellomont, who arrived in 1698, was the suppression of piracy. By his efforts William Kidd, highly respected in this com- munity, was brought to justice; and his letters to the Lords of Trade reveal conditions of shameless corrup- tion and open defiance of the law. He encountered bitter opposition from the merchants here. In an early report he says :
This city hath been a nest of Pirates, and I already find that several of their ships have their owners and were fitted from this Port, and have Commissions to act as privateers, from the late Governor here. There is a great trade between this port and Madagascar, from whence great quantities of East India goods are brought, which are certainly purchased from Pirates. I find that this practice is set up in order that the spoils taken by the Pirates (set out from this Citty) may be brought in hither in merchant ships, whose owners are likewise owners and interested in the Pirate ships, and I particu- larly find that one Captain Moston, Commander of the ship Fortune (now under seizure) altho' an unfree bottom had a Commission from Coll. Fletcher to be a privateer, and as if protected by that did publickly load here for Madagascar and came back laden with East India goods supposed to be partly the produce of the cargo and partly the Pirates goods, which were landed and concealed, all but the last boat and it was so contrived that this ship was sent from hence to Madagascar at the same time that Hore and Glover's ship (two most notorious pirates) were there, both of which had Commissions from Coll: Fletcher at New Yorke. Piracy does and will prevail in the
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Province of New Yorke in spite of all my endeavours unless three things be done out of hand, viz: good Judges and an honest and able Attorney-General from England, a man of war commanded by an honest stout Captain, and pay and recruits for the four companies. Captain Giles Shelly, who came lately from Madagascar with 50 or 60 Pirates has so flushed them at New Yorke with Arabian Gold and East India goods, that they set the government at defiance. ... Your Lordships orders to me to trouble and prosecute Pirates and suppress un- lawful Trade can never be complied with, if you will not afford me the means. Had there been a man of war at Yorke, Shelly and his Pirates in all probability had been taken and £50,000 in money belonging to them: and for want of a Man-of-War I could not attempt anything against a great ship that hovered off this coast 5 or 6 days together about the time I secured Captain Kidd, supposed to be one Maze, a pirate, who is said to have brought £300,000 from the Red Sea, and who 't is believed here would have come into this place could he have hoped to make his terms; but hearing how it fared with Kidd, he bore away and 't is said he is gone to Providence.
The Governors of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland also seized a number of pirates, all of whom were brought by Shelly from Madagascar, and a good many of them had forsaken Kidd. One of Kidd's de- serters was Edward Buckmaster, who was taken pris- oner by Bellomont, and another was Otto van Toyle. In another letter Bellomont says :
When any seizure is made here the merchants are ready to rise in rebellion, and so little have they been used to that in Colonel Fletcher's government that they look on it as a violence done them when we seize unlawful goods in their warehouses and shops. 'Tis almost incredible what a vast quantity of East India goods would have been brought into this port had there not been a change in the
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Government. Two men in this town had for their share £12000 each, which were brought from Madagascar and got there with the barter with pirates. Besides there came home to the mouth of this port 8 or 9 pirate ships since my coming to this government, which would have brought in a vast quantity of those goods, and by the confession of the merchants in the town they would have brought in a £100,000 in gold and silver, and this inrages them to the last degree that they have missed of all this treasure and rich pennyworths of East India goods and now they drink Colonel Fletcher's health with the greatest devotion imaginable, upon the remembrance of his kind concessions to them and the dispensing power he gave himself and them against the laws of trade and piracy.
I formerly acquainted your Lordships that Nassaw Island alias Long Island was become a great Receptacle for Pirates; I am since more confirmed that 'tis so. Gillam, a notorious pirate, was suffered to escape thither from Rhode Island, and 'tis believed he is still there, notwithstanding the Lieutenant-Governor of New Yorke published by my direction a reward of £30 for his appre- hension, and at the same time fio a piece for two of Kidd's men that escaped from this town to Nassaw Island. I take that Island, especially the East End of it, to exceed Rhode Island. The people there have been many of them pirates themselves, and to be sure are well affected to the trade; but besides that they are so lawlesse and desperate a people that I can get no honest man that will venture to goe and collect the Excise among them and watch their Trade. There are four towns that make it their daily practice to receive ships and sloops with all sorts of Merchandize, tho' they be not allowed ports.
The most prominent and opulent merchants in the city - De Lancey and Philipse among them - accu- mulated much of their wealth by piracy.
Shelly is one of the Masters of Ships that I formerly informed your Lordships went last Summer from New
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York to Madagascar ; he is a dweller at New Yorke, and Mr. Hackshaw one of the Merchants in London that petitioned your Lordships against me is one of his owners, and Mr de Lancey a Frenchman at New Yorke is another. I hear too that Captain Kidd dropped some pirates in that Island. They write from New Yorke that Arabian Gold is in great plenty there. When Frederick Phil- lipp's ship and the other two come from Madagascar (which are expected every day) New York will abound with gold. 'Tis the most beneficiall trade that to Mada- gascar with the pirates that was ever heard of, and I believe there's more got that way than by turning pirates and robbing. I am told this Shelly sold rum which cost but 2 shillings per gallon at New Yorke for 50 shillings and £3 per gallon at Madagascar, and a pipe of Madera Wine which cost him f19 he sold there for £300. Strong liquors and gun powder and ball are the commodities that go off there, to the best advantage, and those four ships last summer carried thither great quantities of those things.
The carelessness and corruption of the officers of the revenue and customes have been so great for some years past that althogh the Trade of this place hath been four times as much as formerly and the City greatly enlarged, and inriched, yet His Majesty's revenue arising from the Customes, hath decreased the one half from what it was ten years since; and the Merchants here have been so used to unlawful trade that they were almost ready to mutiny on some seizures I caused to be made (a few days after I landed) on Goods imported in an unfree bottom in the ship Fortune, commanded by Captain Moston, and it was with the greatest unwillingness and backwardness that his Majesty's Collector, Mr. Chidley Brooks did make the seizure, who told me it was none of his business, but belonged to a Man of Warr; that he had no boat, and other excuses; and when I gave him positive commands to do it, which he could not avoid, yet his delay of four days time gave opportunity to the ship
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wholly to unlade a rich cargo of East India goods, believed to be worth twenty thousand pounds; and only the last boats laden from her were seized to the value of about one thousand pounds, and I am informed that several other ships have since my landing here, transgressed the acts of trade which I could not prevent.
Continuing his investigations, the Earl found that the pirates that had caused the greatest havoc in the East Indies and the Red Sea had been either fitted out in New York or Rhode Island, and manned from New York. The ships commanded by Mason, Tew, Glover, and Hore had their commissions from the Governor of New York, the last three from Fletcher, and although these commissions appeared to be given only against the King's enemies, yet it was known to all the inhabit- ants of this city that they were bound to the Indies and the Red Sea, it being openly declared by the said commanders, whereby they raised men and were quickly able to proceed so notoriously publicly that it was gen- erally believed that they had assurance from Colonel Fletcher that they might return and be protected. Bel- lomont says further :
Capt. Tew, that had been before a most notorious Pirate (complained of by the East India Company) on his re- turn from the Indies with great riches made a visit to New York, where (although a man of most mean and in- famous character ) he was received and caressed by Coll : Fletcher, dined and supped often with him, and appeared publickly in his coach with him, and they exchanged presents, as gold watches, etc. with one another, all this is known to most of the City.
Fletcher also received private presents for his wife and daughter. Mason's ship returned under the com- mand of one Coats about 1693, and was protected by Fletcher.
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Bellomont found the officers of the Customs at New York most corrupt and negligent, and his removal of Mr. William Nicolls (chief broker in the matter of protection of pirates) from the Council made an enemy of him; and he and the merchants formed a cabal against the Earl. He also removed Brooks. His ene- mies charged that he had ruined the town by discour- aging " privateering," as they euphemistically termed piracy, and preventing goods to the value of £100,000 from being landed.
The obstacles thrown in the Governor's path were many, and the opposition was exceedingly bold.
Having intelligence where some uncustomed goods were, I sent Mr. Monsey and Mr. Evats, a Searcher, to seize them, who went, found and seized them at Mr. Van Sweeten's house, but before they could convey them again to the Custome house, called together a number of the Merchants and by their advice locked up all the windows and doors, and made the said officers prisoners in a Close Garret, where they made the seizure and put them in danger of being stifled. News of this was brought to me about three hours after being nine of the clock at night with notice that the Officers were in danger of being murthered. I was therefore forced immediately to send my Lieutenant-Governor with three files of Soldiers and my own Servants from the Fort, who went and forth- with broke open the doors of Van Sweethen's house (which were denied to be opened to them) and rescued the King's Officers, and assisted in carrying the Goods seized to the Custom House. The Merchants of the Town were in such an uproar at this seizure (not being used to such things) that they exclaimed against me, as if all the English Laws and Rights were violated, and had the insolence to present to me, a most reproachful scandalous Petition.
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There is thus no mystery about the origin of the lacquer, porcelain, silks, brocades, embroideries, and other rich Oriental wares and fabrics found in such quantities in the New York inventories.
Let us now follow from the breakfast-table the " master " of the house to his business.
The model Seventeenth Century house in the Utrecht Museum contains a small office, or counting-house, cor- rectly furnished. On the right are two bookshelves full of books (also on the left wall), below which are a wooden bench and five rolls of tobacco. Against the wall, beneath the shelves, hang two shears, one saw, one chopper, and two strings of bills. Farther back in the room stands a bookcase in which are five packets of white paper tied with red tape and thirty-six bound books of white paper. Above the desk hangs a wooden shelf on which are twenty packs of paper tied with red tape. Under the bookshelf at the back stands a money- chest on carved legs, in which are packets of blue and of white paper tied with red tape and files of bills and receipted bills. In the front part of the room is a desk on which are a silver inkstand and an ivory seal with a monogram, a black étui case of silver work and a knife, three quill pens, a sand-shaker for drying the ink, a wooden paper-cutter, a wooden ruler, and a pile of letters.
In front of the desk stands a high stool, on which a doll, representing the merchant, is seated. He wears an indoor jacket of brown silk with an orange silk scarf, white silk breeches, and red slippers. On the floor stands a basket containing long Gouda pipes and two bootjacks, and also a wooden cellaret with nine green glass bottles.
The office usually contained also a clock, or an hour- glass, especially if clerks were employed. It was cus-
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tomary for both master and clerks to keep their caps or hats on while at work.
The counting-house was entered either directly from the street or side passage, or else through the shop, for on no account would the strict housewife allow cus- tomers or business callers to walk through the hallways of their homes and soil the clean tiling. An Amster- dam Xantippe of the Seventeenth Century is heard to say :
As soon as my husband's feet reach the threshold off come his boots, and either leather or felt slippers which always stand near the entrance are put on. Then the servant hands him his dressing-gown and cap, while he takes off his street clothes; and, quiet as a lamb, he steps into his office, and is buried in his books. If anybody ever comes to visit him, he never comes farther than the office. The rest of the house is mine, from front to rear, from top to bottom. Sometimes but very rarely, and when it is a special friend, he is allowed to bring him into the small front room to take a glass, but that is on special occasions only, and not a regular habit. Everything referring to his trade he knows; and his room is full of bills of lading, insurance policies, ledgers, day- books, etc.
The industries of New Netherland were very trifling. The temptations and profits of trade and barter, legiti- mate and illicit, were too strong to induce the cobbler to stick to his last. Very little merchandise was manu- factured, - some furniture, brick, beer, fur garments, homespun linen, and woollen stuffs, shoes, and, of course, cereal and dairy products were made, but for their wealth the inhabitants of the colony depended on domestic and foreign exchange of commodities. Miller (1695) writes :
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The industry that now is used is but little; the few inhabitants, having a large country before them, care not for more than from hand to mouth, and therefore they take but little pains, and yet that little produces very good beer, bread, cider, wine of peaches, cloth stuffs and beaver hats, a certain and sufficient sign how plentiful and beneficial a country it would be did but industrious art second nature's bounty, and were but the inhabitants more in number than at present they are.
Merchandizing in this country is a good employment, English goods yielding in New York generally 100 per cent. advance above the first cost, and some of them 200, 300, yea, sometimes 400: this makes so many in the city follow it, that whosoever looks on their shops would wonder, where there are so many to sell, there should be any to buy.
This, joined to the healthfulness, pleasantness, and fruitfulness thereof, are great encouragements to people rather to seek the bettering of their fortunes here than elsewhere; so that it may be hoped that a little time will render the inhabitants more numerous than at present they are.
In 1670, Denton says :
they sow store of flax which they make every one cloth of for their own weaving, as also woollen cloth and linsey- woolsey, and had they more tradesmen amongst them, they would in a little time live without the help of any other country for their clothing. Here you need not trouble the shambles for meat, nor bakers and brewers for beer and bread, nor run to a linen-draper for a supply, every one making their own linen and a great part of their woollen cloth.
With regard to the trades, the only ones that cor- responded to some degree with the Dutch guilds were those of the butcher, baker, and brewer. The houses with the verandas under which goods were displayed in
45.ª
From an old print
OLD DUTCH HOUSE IN BROAD STREET NEW AMSTERDAM, 1698
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Holland existed here; but, as a rule, the shop-goods consisted of a heterogeneous conglomeration in which the purchaser might find anything from a prayer-book to a pack of cards, a Jew's-harp to an anchor. The bakers, of course, confined their wares to the favorite Dutch confectioneries. Thus, in 1661, Hendrick Jan- sen was sued for exhibiting gingerbread in his window without offering large bread for sale.
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