USA > New York > New York City > History of New Netherland; or, New York under the Dutch, Vol. I > Part 44
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6. Case, John, M. D., an eminent Physician and Philosopher of Oxford ; born at Woodstock, Eng .; died, 1600. He published a number of works, among which is Thesaurus ŒEconomia, seu Commentarius in (Economia Aristotelis ; Oxon. 1597, 1598 ; Hanov. 1598; 8vo. There is a monument to his memory in St. John's College. [Watt ; also Biog. Dict.]
7. Peter Ramus, a celebrated French Mathematician, born 1515; died, 1572. Published " Arithmetica, Græca et Latina," at Paris, quarto, 1555 ; " Geometria," at Basle, quarto, 1596. [Watt.]
8. Henry Lewis Castaneus published a work entitled "Celebriorum distinctionnm tum Philosophicorum et Theologicorum Synopsis." [Watt.]
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L.
Van Curler's Letter to the Patroon.
[From the Rensselaerswyck MSS.]
Laus Deo! At the Manhattans, this 16th June, 1643.
Most honorable, wise, powerful, and right discreet Lord, my Lord Patroon-
With submissive salutation shall this serve to greet your Honor and your Honor's beloved Lady, who is dear to you, with wished-for good fortune, prosperity, and steady happiness. On the 4th of this instant, I received your Honor's favor, and seen and read its contents, wherennto this shall serve for answer.
Firstly, touching the serious discontent which your Honor feels towards me, be- cause the accounts and books have not been sent to you, I have not much to oppose. But therein I have not been wholly culpable. For the accounts and books which might be brought to me, I can quickly make clear and ready. But there are boors from whom I can get no returns ; and Van der Doncq has not once spoken to them thereof, according to his instructions, nor done any thing about them so long as he has been in this colonie. I have had, once before this, returns from some boors. Neither head nor tail could be made out of them. For they state every thing they expended, but nothing of what they had received ; and, moreover, coter in the ac- count, to this one, so much-to that oue, so much ; without once specifying for what that same was given. Every thing they have laid out on account of the Lord Pa- troon, they well know how to specify for what that was expended. But what has been laid out for their own private use, that they know nothing about, and yet can manage to remember what appertains to the account of the Noble Patroon, and to book that. To this I say, that I will never allow this ; but that they shall deliver to me a clean, clear, just account, to send the same over to the Noble Patroon, for his Honor's approbation ; and so soon as an answer shall be received, shall these then be passed, if his Honor so order. Whereupon the farmers reply : We shall then furnish you an account, as you told us that without it being sent to Patria it is good for nothing. In fine, this also has been neglected. Bnt, please God, so soon as the next [ship] comes, the accounts shall be sent to yon. So far as I am myself concerned, I hope that his Honor will not be so displeased as he has been. For I consider myself bound to make good to the Patroon whatever shall fall short in the accounts, or shall be stolen. But, so truly help me God Almighty, I am not conscious, willingly or know- iagly, so long as I have been in your Honor's service, to have defrauded your Lord- ship, or to have sought, in any manner, mine own profit, or seek to enrich myself, as others truly do, who, in justice to the Noble Patroon, should observe who wrong him. I shall tell your Honor no tales, but I shall send over by the next ship sufficient proofs thereof.
As to what your Honor would know, what the construction of the boors' houses will cost, it is impossible for me to acquaint you. I have never had any account thereof, as I have told your Honor before. What regards the cost of my own build-
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ing, I hope that shall not be wanting. I have kept every note of it. Further, I shall furuish, at the same time, an account of what my house-keeping comes to. The Lord shall find therein a few items of what I have presented, or given away, as I have sometimes given some presents to the principal chiefs of the Indians, in order that they should maintain good correspondence with each other.
As your Honor does not know how your account stands with the company, this will serve to inform you that I have never settled with M. Kieft, nor ever attempted it, because he charged the freight and customs [convoyen] so high, that I have inva- riably referred that to the Lord Patroon. Kieft hath frequently demanded of me to liquidate the account, but I have always deferred it, because I fear imprudently to burn myself with this account ; for all the charges, freights, and board, which he brought in his aecount, are directly contrary to the granted freedoms. And your Honor supposes that I here deduct all the freights, customs, [convoyen,] and duties, wholly from the wheat ; the Lord hath always been pleased to excuse me from so doing. For I have never entertained such a thought as to liquidate the account with Kieft. Now that I understand your Honor's intention, I shall never deliver another handful of wheat to the company, unless they either pay me on delivery, [ofte ten sy datse my contant betallen,] or unless I receive other orders from your Honor. How- ever, I have delivered very little grain, except last year, ouly twelve lasts, and then not a single grain was once on my order. But, heretofore, the boors have always delivered the grain to the company on their own authority. There is no knowing, sometimes, where all the grain that is raised in the colonie remains, or is consumed But I shall send the Lord, by the first opportunity, an extract of an account which I have, through friendship, received out of the A. Croll's book, whereby the Lord shall see and find what has been consumed by the boors, and all paid in wheat, where- of your Honor has been wholly wronged [gefrusteert] and deprived. But so soon as the accounts of the bouweries are made up, and your Honor hath this extract, your Honor then can see who intends best by the Lord Patroon.
What the Lord, my master, commands me to receive in good regard the counsel of Dominie Megapolensis ; and therein to follow his Reverence's advice-I have never failed so to do, but have always communieated to him whatever occurred here, to have his opinion thereupon ere I concluded to undertake any thing, and have always thankfully received his reverence's counsel. Further, I shall use my utmost dili- gence to collect the rest and to post all the debits and credits, [schulden en weder- schulden,] Beavers and Seawan. I shall then, without fail, send you all by the next opportunity. As to what appertains to the duffels, I have, in all I received, not perceived any damage worth mentioning, but got them in good condition.
Your honor further orders me in his letter to have some of the studs gelded. This I did last spring to the number of twelve, and two more recently, being fourteen in all. God be thanked they all fared well, without any of them having been injured or killed, though there were some eight or nine years olds among them. There are nine more in the colonie, besides one yearling, to wit :- two ready for use (om te springen) in the five bouweries on the east bank ; Andries de Vos and Van Nes have together one for their use ; and Brandt and Van der Doncq together, one for theirs ; Broer Cor- nelissen, ditto: on the Great Flatt are four ; whereof two of the most delicate will be cut next harvest. Doubtless the Patroon shall have a much greater increase every year than he has had hitherto. For the studs heretofore followed the mares so anx- iously that the latter could not be touched, and now they go so tame that it is curious
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to remark. And, before this, we were obliged, according to the age of the studs, to go look for the horses to the half day, and they came safely home. Teunis Dircksen is here from the master gelder. I have paid him one great pound for each stud he operated on. I have sent the residents all the full number of horses and cows, accord- ing to their contract. I have full twenty draft horses, at present, on the Flatt (op de Vlachte) besides the milch cows, but they are all young cattle.
Further, touching the letter sent to your Honor by the Mahicanders, your Honor will please not to be surprised ; for I came, by great luck, four or five days after the returu of the sloop from above, and overtook it there by reason of contrary winds ; and received a day or two after the return of this, the resolution of Pieter Cornelissen and Broer Cornelissen. So that I got on board the sloop, and there hastily wrote a short letter to your Honor, because I thought it was necessary to advise you.
Your Honor further writes that you understand that I had placed Labbatie on the Great Flatt, and promised him twenty guilders per month, and your honor asks what farm work can he do. Those who wrote that to your honor lie like rogues. For I never thought of it ; but my intention was that Labbatie should pass the winter on the Flatt to trade, as good trade is drove there from above during the winter, but never has there been any talk of monthly wages. For so long as Labbatie has been out of his bounden time, he has never asked or demanded any increase of wages, but always said that he should leave that to the discretion of the Lord Patroon. But I shrewdly suspect that this report was sent to his Honor by Van der Doncq, whom this undertaken work hath sorely troubled, hecause he can make nothing by it ; and still daily doth he, in my absence, go about finding fault that men expect to make great profit for the masters, but that it will miss. But I have nothing to say. The work is but begun. Yet I hope, please God, to have next harvest as much corn in the ground as the best bouwerie in the colonie. I have, at present, about ten to twelve morgens of oats planted, and had there not been so many hidden stumps in the land, I should have had much more sown. But there is not much fallow. From this year there will be still more rye. But generally the first year is the slimmest. I trust firmly that all the bouweries have not had so much to clear as this Flatt alone. It was all hidden stumps and roots, which were not perceived until the plough struck right on them. Your honor further writes that you do not want any bouwerie for yourself.
I shall therefore keep together an exact account of all the expenses which have been incurred thereon. I shall, then, request of your honor, as I have already done, to be preferred before all others for the same Flatt, and I shall then, according to op- portunity, contract with your honor therefor, and willingly meet all expenses. I am assured that there is no bouwerie in the colonie which shall have been less expensive than this ; which shall sooner repay the outlay, and that by grain alone, without counting the increase of cattle. I hope, with God's blessing on the grain, that this bouwerie, in two years, will be free of all expense. I have last spring built on this Flatt a farm house, thirty feet covered with tiles, for the residence of the carpenters and laborers.
I had, moreover, contracted with Jan Cornelissen, carpenter, for a large farm- house ; and he had promised to begin it in mid April, which he has not yet done. From May to this date, I believe that he has not worked fourteen days, but has been drunk all the time. I have demanded frequently of him, if he would not go on with the work, and he has always asked for delay ; but he will not begin, because I have made
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a favorable bargain with him. He must build for 700 guilders a house 120 feet long by 28 feet wide ; 40 feet is deducted for a dwelling. There remain 80 feet for the farm-house. The dwelling part to be floored above and below ; a cellar 20 feet long by 28 feet wide ; a half-jutting chamber (een hang-kamer) for the servants' sleeping room ; a small room (een kooi) in the farin-house for the farm laborers ; an enclosed stable for the studs, and further to make a horse and cow stable, and what else apper- tains thereto, and that subject to the inspection of persons conversant with such sort of work, and who understand carpentry. The other carpenters will not build it for 1,000 guilders ; so that he is not very anxious for the job. I made the contract with him when he was sober in the presence of Dom. Johannes, and Mr. Abraham and An- thony de Hooges, and committed it to writing on the instant. So that I shall be obliged to have that house erected by others under protest ; for the time cannot ad- mit of further delay. It must be covered in against the winter, for the cattle must, above all things, have their stabling. I placed all the reed for the house, last harvest, on a pile of lumber, on the spot where the dwelling is to stand.
As regards the tobacco of Albert Audriessen and his brother, I know not otherwise than that your Honor will get the crop, as it was planted in the time of his contract. Your Honor further orders that I should pay this money to Albert here in merchant- able goods. All that will go well. But still remains the question or difference be- tween us, which is this :- whereas Albert hath, before this, opposed the placards, and moreover, heretofore, hath scolded the Lord Patroon and the whole council, so that he was condemned in a heavy fine, I shall therefore deduct this fine from the amount to be paid for the delivered tobacco. The fine for which he is indebted according to law, for opposition to the placard and scandalous scolding, amounts to 312 fl. We should long ago have levied this sum by execution, but I have all along waited pa- tiently for the delivered tobacco.
As for the answer which your Honor sent to the pretensions of Andreas Hudde, I shall give an extract thereof to the Heer Kieft, and speak to himself about it.
As for the Church, it is not yet contracted for, nor even begun. I had written last year to your Honor, that I had a building almost ready, namely, the covenanted work, which would have been for Dom. Megapolensis ; and this house was not agree- able to the taste of Dom. Johannes ; in other respects it was altogether suitable for him, so that I have laid it aside. That which I intend to build this summer in the pine grove, [in het Greynen Boscb,] will be 34 feet long by 19 feet wide. It will be large enough, for the first three or four years, to preach in, and can afterwards al- ways serve for the residence of the sexton, or for a school. I hope your Honor will not take this ill, as it happened through good intention.
Regarding the diamond [het crystal] near Michel Janssen's house, of which your Hon- or writes that I should send over some more specimens thereof, I have spoken about it to Michel Jansen, and to several others, to engage them to bury it. But they will not do so, apparently because they fear for the labor, and it will terminate badly.
The Lord Patroon is very much surprised that so little care has been taken of the vines which his Honor sent. I planted them in the garden, but they were killed by the frost, like the others brought to the country. I believe, in my opinion, that they did not suffer in the least from the high water.
As regards the formulary which your Honor sent, it shall, for the future, be fol- lowed as well for horses as for cows. I should have been pleased that your Honor had sent it before, in order to afford your Honor greater content. Your Honor is,
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morcover, surprised that Albert Andriesz. hath such privilege ; that a better inventory is not taken of his stock of cattle. The messenger says that he will not allow any pre- emption, and what is more, will not give you any part of the cattle, although he purchased the cows while your Honor's contract with the mill company was still in existence.
I shall send by Willem Turck as many peltries as I can bring in. Your Honor is surprised that all my letters mention haste ; this, in short, shall serve as an explana- tion. The ships are sometimes 14 days, and even more, at the Manhattans, before we receive any tidings or intelligence thereof, and then, receiving letters, the sloops remain only five, six, or seven days, so the letters must then be got ready in a hurry. The Lord says that this ought to be done beforehand, which might easily be, if we had not to answer the Lord's letters. For we could well advise the Lord in one of the affairs of the colonie. For the future, whatever will he pleasing to the Patroon, shall be done, for in all things I am subject to obey his order in as much as it lies in my power.
In regard to your Honor's instructions to inquire what price wheat commands in Virginia, I cannot very well undertake that. But so far as I hear and understand, it goes off well there, but it should be sent there ground into meal. If your Honor should he of opinion to send the ship thither, she should be well provided with strong distilled waters, which are much in demand there, together with duffels and wide linen. Tobacco can be had at 2 to 3 advance on the price in Holland. All the corn which will be delivered to me, I shall retain provisionally by me till further advice, should your Honor be pleased to send a ship. Henceforward I will not give a grain more of corn to the company.
As to the boors selling the wheat for 8 to 9 florins the mud, [four bushels,] that is true ; but I cannot say who they are. I believe that 4 to 5 lasts have been thus sold since last spring, and Van der Doncq hath not once been willing to look to it, nor to prevent such a fraud. Your Honor further writes me that I shall speak to Van der Donck and Peter Cornelissen to second me. They will not endeavor to advance the business of their own office, nor do they much try. How can they, then, aid me ? And they are the dogs which bite me, and still daily seek to render me suspected, which Van der Doncq endeavored enough to do and hath already done, as I can in- fer from the Lord's writings. But what he has perpetrated and still commits, will be made mauifest in its own time. I shall not, thereupon, talk any further now. Dom. Megapolensis was well aware of his acts.
Your Honor further states, that Van der Donck complains of the impertinence of Labbatie. These shall serve thereupon. Van der Doncq is very covetous and mo- nopolizing ; during my absence at the Manhattans, this Van der Doncq came, different times, and arrogantly spoke to Labbatie, that he should give him duffels ; sometimes Seewan, and more such goods. Thereupon Labbatie answered that he had no orders to give out any goods-wherefore had he not asked them of me before, when I was at home ; or that he must wait until I should return, and such like things, much more than I can detail. So then hatred became so deeply rooted, that they pursued each other with swords, in like manner as he had done to De Hooges, scolding him as an informer, and moreover struck him ; and thus he acts also towards me, blaming me as well to your Honor, as to the colonists, in order to render me suspected. And he imagines, by reason of his ambition, that men will permit him to do what he pleases ; and that through ignorance, much must be overlooked for the sake of the consequences.
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As to what the Lord writes, that what concerns the delivery of the cattle, proceed- ed ent of the head of Broer Cornelissen. That he will not deliver up the same, nor pay for them immediately, is true. He hath frequently spoken thereof in my presence, and moreover, hath also endeavored to stir up others thereto.
What regards the resolution to send Willem Juriaensen Bakker out of the colonie, I have had a very long time ample reason therefor. But no one would second me. Then he hath publicly abused the lord and master as a dishonorable man, whereupon he was condemned in a civil fine. This was well. Furthermore, the residents who had driven their trade there with the Indians to the great loss of the noble Lord, con- tinued this same Willem Juriaensen, and almost destroyed and ruined the whole trade.
As to what the Lord writes that I should not so strictly regulate myself according to the price of the peltries, and that I must exert myself, as well with authority as with censure, to keep strange traders out, this will serve :-
The trade heretofore has always been at six fathoms of seawan. Last year the resi- dents as well as the colonists gave 7 to 73 fathoms. I also gave the same. So soon as they saw that I and the company's commissary gave so much, they immediately gave 9, and since this spring 10 fathoms. So at last, the trade ran so high, that we ef the colonie, and the commissary at the Fort resolved, with one another, to publish a placard as well for the colonists as the residents and company's servants, that they should not presume, on pain of heavy fine and confiscation of their goods, to trade with the Indians for furs at mere than 9 fathoms of white wampum, or 4} fathoms of black ; and that none, on pain of confiscation aforesaid, should go into the bush to trade; and the order was that the officer should prevent it. And he hath not even once attended to this ; nor even now will he do so. When he was told that he should look to the frauds and abuses, in order to prevent the same as much as possible, he gave for answer : that he would not consent to be the worst man-to others, that he would not make himself suspected by the colonists, as his years, as officer, were few. And it happened, last year, that we concluded together on a placard that no residents should presume to come, with their boats, within the limits of the colonie, on confisca- tion of the same. Thereupon there were great complaints on the part of the colonists, and they gave in remonstrances as to where they should receive goods and necessa- ries. Whereupon the council promised the colonists, that if there were any to be had at the Manhattans or elsewhere, that I should procure them, on condition for this promise, that they would in return pay immediately for the wares which they might get from me, and that I should have nothing to do with the transfer of accounts, but to pay me, acting thus as merchant, (so doende koopman,) right off. They were all satisfied, and promised to adhere to it, and to assist me. We further resolved, on the next court day, to issue another placard for the further strengthening of the first ; namely, that no inhabitants of the colonie should presume to buy any goods from the residents. So it happened that a few days after a sloop arrived with some goods. Im- mediately a party of colonists came to me and said-" This and that are come ; ne body must make any purchases there ; you gave ns the promise." To this I replied :- " What I promised, I shall perform and accomplish." I inquired if they had any beavers wherewith to buy these goods and wares. They answered, " No! You must purchase them, and debit us with them in the account ;" which I was wholly unwil- ling to do. So that each one went and bought what he wished, as well duffels as otherwise. Dom. Megapolensis and I then sent for Van der Doncq, and told him to
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go quietly with his servant, Hans Vos, and search the several houses. Now he came to visit Reyer Stoffelzen's house. There he gossiped withont once making a search, and then went to Willem Juriaensen's in the same manner, and so forth. He further went to Dirck Jansen's mill, where he was told there were three pieces of dnffels, and he removed one of them. He furtber went to the house of Cornelis van Merckerck. There he chatted withont once making a search. In like manner he proceeded to Broer Cornelissen's, where he did not search once, but only asked, " How are ye all here?" looked io, and returned back, while he well knew that there were duffels there. Leaving there, he went home. In the same way he went to Claes Janssen van Nyckerck's honse, who, he also well knew, had duffels. He said-" Claes, I shall · come here to-morrow to make a search. Have you any duffels ? Put tbem away in your cellar, which I shall not search." Claes himself told me this out of his own mouth, and promised to give me an affidavit of it, which I shall send your Honor by the next ship.
Moreover, I had contracted last harvest for the building of a house for Dom. Mega- polensis, which should be ready precisely at Christmas. They let the time pass neglect- ed and go by till November. Then I said that I should not allow it to be built ; there was hail, snow, rain, and wind every day, and expecting that the house would cause great expense in meat and drink, and the work not be advanced, I broke the contract, because they did not perform their promise.
Maryn Adriaensen was, at this time, among ns, who offered to sell me a honse of oak wood, all ready-cross casings, door casings, all of oak. So the Dominie hav- ing consulted with us both, and concluded that Maryn's honse would be a much better bargain than the other, so that I purchased the house from him for 350 guilders. Van der Doncq coming to hear this, got into company, in the mean time, with the carpenters and several others, and there told them that we had issued pla- cards forbidding the colonists to trade with the residents, and whoever this interested should mutiny-that whoever had first concocted this had not only concocted the placards, and that I likewise sought to steal the bread out of the mouths of the colonists. Wherenpon some of them were surprised that the officer should so persuade the people. Some, with others, forthwith conspired together to protest against me, and to draw a circle under the protest, within which to place their names, so that it should not be known who had first signed it. This protest having been drawn up, some were for driving me ont of the colonie as a rogue ; others wished to take my life. But nothing resulted from these threats. Herein Van der Doncq said he would honestly, and to our satisfaction, assist me and the council. But when need pressed him, (maer als den noot aende man gingh,) he then withdrew from me and the council to second them, whereof I shall send your Honor affidavits of two persons who told me so with their own lips. So that your Honor can form, at once, an opinion of the matter in itself, and what sort of officer yon have here, who causes so much injury to a whole colonie. He intends, next year, to return home. He has been to Katskill with some colonists to examine that place, and your Honor may be assured he intends to look for partners to plant a colonie there. Borger Jorissen, who has heretofore been in the Lord's colonie, will live there also. He hath let his bouwerie to Brant Peelen for 200 gnilders a year, on which Brant Peelen intends to settle his brother-in-law. This shall not be with my consent.
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