USA > New York > New York City > History of New Netherland; or, New York under the Dutch, Vol. II > Part 21
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Immediately on the departure of the New England delegates, the Director-general prepared a reply to the May 26. letters of the Commissioners of the United Colonies. In regard to those injuries and usurpations to which, they complained, they had hitherto received nothing but "dila- tory exceptions, offensive affronts and unpleasing answers, as well in the South River bay, as upon the Fresh River, by you called Connecticot, which by living testimony to this day you could never make appear, he had always (he said) manifested a willingness to refer the question either to indifferent persons here, or to the determination of their superiors in Europe. He had desired to enter into further conference with the New England messengers relative to the points and matters in question, and to our proofs and in-
1 Hol. Doc. ix., 227-231.
2 Hazard, ii., 248, 249 ; Trumbull's Conn. i., 206.
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BOOK structions. It would be a long, tedious and unnecessary V. relation to answer all the points in the commissioners' 1653. letter, the more especially as the most part of them were decided by the treaty of Hartford. He should not, there- fore, repeat letters, protests and answers which have passed over and over again betwixt them. “Our oldest neighbors, such as those of Virginia, Boston and Plymouth colonies, never yet complained of encroachments by our nation on any part of their jurisdiction ;" both sides have always possessed their own in peace until the governments of Hartford and New Haven (by what authority and under what commission they do not show) had commenced their usurpations, "long after the Hollanders had bounded their limits by the fort the Hope." With great patience and at great length he now proceeded to reply, seriatim, to each article of the declaration of the United Colonies ; and having disposed thereof by arguments, already more than once resorted to, the Director-general took up the charge of conspiring with the Indians against the English. He declared, at once, there was no appearance of truth in it. Had the messengers sent from New England instituted their enquiry "according to the due course and manner of law, our innocency and the truth of our cause had been," he maintained, " truly made manifest. We shall not argue further on this matter. Conscia mens recti fama men- dacia ridet; and it shall be a bulwark of brass for us against any who will put upon us and our nation, any false rumor or report, or any trouble or molestation thereby." Asseverating again and again his innocence of any such " treasonable, treacherous designs," he referred to the pro- posals he had made to the delegates for a continuation of peace, amity and trade, as these had formerly existed, irrespective of the differences and wars arising in Europe between the English and the Dutch, "drawn as they, at their first coming, desired and obtained, but which was not by them fully and clearly answered." He then expressed his intention to rest "satisfied in that which God shall present ; trusting that He being a righteous judge, will also most righteously defend and bless our rightful means
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for a just defence. If not, we shall take his righteous CHAP. judgments as our punishment and amendment, and com -~
I1. mit the success to Him." As for what happened in 1653. Amboyna, they knew nothing of it, " as neither of us hath been there." It was true, however, that Ninnigret had been at the Manhattans, in the course of the preceding January. " But he came hither with a pass from Mr. John Winthrop," in which the cause of his visit was mentioned, viz .: "to be cured and healed." If he had visited other Indians, it was without the knowledge of the Director-general. He heard that he had been with several Indians "upon Long Island, at Nyack ;" " but what he hath negotiated with them remains to us unknown. This only we know-that what your worships lay unto our charge are false reports and forged information. Your messengers might, if they pleased, have informed them- selves of the truth of this at Nyack and Gravesend ; and also have obtained more friendly satisfaction and security concerning our real intentions, if they had pleased to have staid a day, or two, or three with us, to have heard and further considered those articles which are now deferred until another meeting, much to our grief."
Messrs. Leverett, Newman and Davis were, in the mean time, actively at work fishing up testimony favor- able rather to their fears than to facts. At Flushing, they took the ex parte evidence of other Indians, which, how- ever, did not amount to anything more than hearsay. They obtained affidavits also from Mrs. Van der Donck, daughter of the Rev. Mr. Doughty, and some Englishmen residing thereabout. But the sum and substance of these differed materially from the raw-head and bloody-bones story, to which the fears of the New Englanders had given exist- ence. It now came out that the Director-general had only declared, that he should strengthen himself with the Indians, as much as he could, " in case the English should attack him."' And this was, in truth, all the foundation
1 Mr. Coe, magistrate, acknowledged that he had been with the Dutch Gov- ernor two days before, and he told him that if the English came against him, he had spoken to the Indians to help him. Hazard, ii., 247. William Alford, dis-
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rook that this pretended plot had to rest on. The Directors of V. Amsterdam had already, as we have seen, instructed Gov- 1653. ernor Stuyvesant on the breaking out of the war between Cromwell and Holland, to engage the Indians in his cause, "if it happened that those of New England were inclined to take a part in those broils, and to injure the good people of New Netherland." In obedience to these instructions, and in order to repel invasion should it occur, he had, no doubt, taken every care to ingratiate himself with the natives, and to win them over to his side. It was a policy as old as the discovery of America, to which every Euro- pean power possessing a foot of land on this continent has invariably had recourse, and which the people of New England had themselves pursued in their own wars. On the part of the Dutch it was a purely defensive precaution, justifiable in their position ; and the more the evidence on all sides is examined, the stronger will their innocence appear of the foul charges brought against them.
The delegates from New England had now returned to June 3. Boston and submitted a report. A committee was there- upon appointed to draw up a statement of the facts between the English and the Dutch, but it could not agree. Sepa- rate reports were presented by Governor Eaton and Major- general Dennison. To reconcile these, a conference was held before the General Court of Massachusetts. Finally, June 7. all the papers were referred to the Elders for consideration, who, upon examination of the proofs produced, reported that they could not consider these a sufficient and clear June 8. ground for war; and, on the following day, a message was received from the General Court, concurring in opinion with this learned and venerable body. With this conclu- sion the majority of the commissioners, who expressed themselves dissatisfied in every particular with Stuyve- sant's answer, refused to agree, and urged, with much per- tinacity, the necessity of hostile measures against the Dutch.
coursing with the present Governor of the Manhatoes, that some had a hand in the plot concerning the Indians cutting off the English, he said he had no hand in such plot, but confessed that in case any English should come against him, then he should strengthen himself with the Indians as much as he could. Ib. 248.
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But nothing could induce Massachusetts to recede from CHAP. its position. No determination of the commissioners to ~ 11. declare an offensive war, even though unanimous, was 1653. binding on any colony whose General Court, or local legis- lature, might dissent therefrom. This resolution elicited considerable discontent among the other colonies. It was the first time that the great principle of Nullification was promulgated and enforced, and then, as in our days, it threatened a dissolution of the Union.1
No ways rebuffed, however, New Haven and Connecti- cut sent two delegates to the General Court of Massachu- July 8. setts, to call again on that colony for its quota of five hundred men, that " for the honor of the English nation, the peace and safety of the English in all this part of Ame- rica, by war if no other means will serve, the Dutch at and about the Manhatoes, who have bine and still are like to prove injurious and dangerous neighbours, may be re- moved." Should such demand be not responded to, the agents were instructed to ask permission to beat up for volunteers, to the number of two to four hundred men, but no person belonging to Rhode Island, " or of that stamp or frame," was to be received.
Governor Endicott declined compliance with this re- July 24. quest. They would " not act in so weighty a concerne- ment as to send forth men to shed blood," except they could satisfy their consciences "that God calls for it, and then it must be clear and not doubtful, necessary and ex- pedient." New Haven, soon after, sent an address to Oct. 22. Oliver Cromwell, in which they complained bitterly of those of Massachusetts, who feared " their own swords more than Dutch or Indians, or the displeasure of the state of England," and represented that " unless the Dutch be either removed or subjected, the peace and comfort of these smaller western colonies will be much hazarded and more and more impaired ; for," they went on to say, "this earthly generation of men, whose gain is their god, are grown very gratious with the barbarians, whom they have at their command, an armed people prepared (if we enter-
1 Hazard's State Papers, ii., 203-271, et seq.
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v.
prise aught against the Dutch) to assault the English."
They concluded by requesting that two or three frigates 1653. be sent out, and that Massachusetts be commanded to assist the other colonies, to clear the coast of " a nation with which the English cannot either mingle or sett under their government, nor so much as live near, without dan- ger of their lives and all their comforts in this world."1
Rhode Island, with whom those of Connecticut and New Haven refused to associate, had, in the mean time, received a copy of the order which the Council of State had issued against Holland ; and, forgetful of the principles of her be- nign and enlightened founder, proceeded to organize a marauding expedition against her neighbor, at the head of which she placed Underhill, who could receive no countenance in the United Colonies, and one William June 3. Dyer. To these was given the following commission :-
" This certifieth whom it may concerne yt whereas we ye free inhabitants of Providence Plantat"s having rec! au- thoritie and power from the R't Honourable ye Counsell of State : by authoritie of Parliament to defend ourselves from ye Dutch ye enemies of ye Commonwealth of England, as also to offend them, as we shall thinke necessarie, as also to seize all Dutch vessels or shipps yt shall come within our harbors or within our power, and whereas by true information and greate complainte of ye servile condition yt many of o! countrymen, English natiues liuing on L. I. are subjected to by ye cruell tirannie of ye Dutch power at the Manathoes and the desperate hazards they are subject to by the bloody plottings of ye Governour and Fiscal there, who are euedently declared to have drawne in and engaged ye Indians by bribes and promises to cutt off and destroy the English natiues in those parts, by weh con- spiracie our countrymen are proscribed and putt in great hazard and in continual feare to be cutt off and murdered unlesse some speedy and suitable remedy be prouided. These premises considered and well weighed by our Gene-
1 Rec. of Gen. Court of New Haven, 3, 8, 11, 12, 27 ; Thurlee's State Papers, folio, Lond. 1742, i., 564. Hooke's letter to Cromwell is at length in this work.
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rall Assemblie met the 19th of May, 1653, It was agreed CHAP. and determined by ye said Assemblie yt it was necessarie
1I. and that for our owne defence (whereas if ye English there 1653. should be routed or cut off we could nott longer enjoy our stations) Therefore as before we have thought it necessarie, both to defend ourselves and to reskew them, to giue, and doe hereby giue by virtue of our authoritie received, as before, full power and authoritie to Mr. Wn Dyre and Capt. John Underhill to take all Dutch ships and vessells as shall come into their power and to defend themselves from the Dutch and all enemies of ye Commonwealth of England ; and we further think it necessarie that they offende ye Dutch after all inducements used to draw them by indulgence and to p'vent the effusion of blood ; prouided alsoe that noe violence be used nor noe detrement sus- tained to them yt shall submit to ye Commonwealth of England, wch being observed then they may offende them at ye disposta. of Capt. Wm Dyre and Captaine John Under- hill who by aduice and counsell of three counsellors, one of wch counsellors concurringe, have power to bring ye Dutch to conformitie to the Commonwealth of England prouided yt ye States pt be secured and all vessells taken be bro't into ye harbor at Newport and according to ye law be there tryed and ye States part secured ; prouided also that those premised and authorized by vs doe giue accompt of their proceedings to ye president and asistants of ye colony and accordingly rece further instructions to order their affaires by ye president and assistants aforesaid. It is further re- solved yt Capt. John Underhill is constituted commander in cheife uppon the lande and Capt. Wm Dyre comd' in cheif at ye sea; yett to joyne in counsell to be assistant each to other for ye propagatinge of ye service premised for the honor of ye Commonwealth of England in wch they are imployed. Given under the seale of ye Colony of Prov- idence Plantations this present 24 May, 1653.
" Per me WILLM. LYTHERLAND, General Recorder."1
I Rec. in Secretary of State's Office, Hartford, endorsed, "Towns and Lands," i. 76.
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BOOK V. Underhill went into this war for profit, not for glory. Instead of capturing Fort Amsterdam, he faced the defence- 1653. less and unoccupied House of Good Hope, on the Connec- July 7. ticut, and valiantly posted on the door the following notice :-
" WHEREAS by virtue off Commision graunted me by Providence Collonye, authorized by the Councell of State, and I havinge in the said Commision full power for land service against ye Dutch in these terms following :- ' It is farther resolved yt Capt. Jo. Underhill shall be Commander in Cheife in ye service against ye Dutch by Land, and Mr. W. Dyer, Com' in Cheife by Water'-by vertue of ye s! Commision, and according to Act of Parlyment and wth permission from ye Generall Court of Hartford, I Jo. Un- derhill doe seaze upon this hous and lands thereunto belong- ing, as Dutch goods claymed by ye West India Company in Amsterdam enemies of the Commonweal of England, and thus to remayne seazed till further determined by ye said Court. Hartford, this 27th of June, 1653."
Aug. 2. Having achieved this feat, he sold and gave a deed for the property, to one Ralph Earle, of Rhode Island, for Oct. 23. £20 stg. ; but not satisfied with this operation, he sold it, a second time, within a few months after, to Messrs. Gibbons and Lord, giving them also a deed for the same.1
Associated with these worthies, was one Thomas Baxter,
1 Hartford Rec., (sup. cit. ) i., 81, 86, 87, SS. The lands seized on this occa- casion are thus described, Ib. 77: " One parcel lying in the south meadow con- taining by estimation twenty-three acres and a half, (be it more or less,) and abutteth on the Great River [Connecticut] north, and on Capt. Cullett his land east, and on a highway leading from the meadow gate to the Indian land on the south, and on George Steele his land west. More, One parcel on the south meadow containing by estimation one acre, (be it more or less,) and abutteth on the landing place in the Little River on the east, and on the Little River north, and on the said Gibbons and Gregory their lands on the south. More, One parcel of land lying in the poynt of ye little meadow containing by esti- macon three acres, (be it more or less,) and abutteth on the Little River south and west, and on Mr. Haines his land north, and on ye Great River east. More, One parcel being an island lying near the east side of ye Great River over against the south end of the little meadow and containeth by estimacon two acres, (be it more or less.") The opposing claims of Earle gave rise subse- quently to a protracted suit of law, which continued from 1660 to 166S. As everything relating to this Fort of Good Hope is of interest, we give Underhill's deed to Gibbons and Lord in App. F.
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previously a resident of the Manhattans, who, in his zeal CHAP. for the Commonwealth, was not very particular in distin- guishing between friend and foe. For, after having made 1653. sundry descents on English and Dutch, indiscriminately, on Long Island and near New Amsterdam, he turned pirate and took possession of a ship belonging to Plymouth Colo- ny. To arrest these depredations, the Director-general dispatched two vessels of war with a hundred men, who blockaded Baxter in Fairfield harbor. Unfortunately the jealousy of the United Colonies prevented this expedition accomplishing any good. They issued an order prohibit- Sep. 27. ing all Dutch ships to enter any of the ports belonging to the Confederation, without express permission, under the pen- alty of being seized and confiscated. Under these circum- stances, the Dutch deemed it prudent to retire, and Con- necticut and New Haven sent forth their authority to Dec. 2. arrest the pirate ; not, however, until his depredations had given rise in New Netherland to considerable complaint against the provincial government.1
The anxiety of the Director-general had led him, at the commencement of these difficulties, to endeavor to place his relations with the English at the south in a safe position, and for that purpose he sent Burgomaster Van Hattem and Attorney-general Van Tienhoven to Virginia, in May, to negotiate a treaty with the authorities there. The attempt was, however, unsuccessful. Gov. Bennett, who had suc- ceeded Berckley, the Royal Governor, did not consider himself authorized to come to any conclusion on so deli- cate a subject, before he had communicated to his supe- riors the propositions submitted to him. He promised, however, to transmit them to England, and the Dutch am- bassadors returned to the Manhattans. At the close of this year, " the Reverend and very learned Samuel Drisius,
1 Alb. Rec. ix., 155; Rec. of General Court of New Haven, 31, 34; Hazard's State Papers, ii., 287, 294; Rhode Island Hist. Coll. v., 95. Baxter was ar- rested at Fairfield, (where he committed various excesses,) in March, 1654; brought to New Haven, thence sent to Hartford. He was subsequently surren- dered to Stuyvesant on requisition, but broke jail and fled, leaving his vessel and a house in New Amsterdam in possession of the authorities, by whom they were sold. Alb. Rec. ix., 117, 129.
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BOK minister of the Gospel in the city of New Amsterdam," was V. sent to renew the former proposals to Gov. Bennett, and 1653. to conclude with him a commercial treaty, including a
Dec. 16. power to the merchants of New Netherland to collect debts due them in Virginia. Should these be accepted, the Director-general pledged himself to ratify whatever his plenipotentiary might agree to, provided, however, that six or eight days' notice may be given of any intention to revoke such agreement as may be concluded, "so as to prevent losses and animosities between nation and nation." This mission proved entirely successful.1
Some changes were made this summer in the personnel of the government. Nicasius de Sille, " a man well versed in the law and not unacquainted with military affairs, of good July 24. character and satisfactory acquirements," was commis- sioned as First Counsellor to the Director, at a salary of one hundred florins ($40) per month, including board.2
1 Dominie Drisius' commission is in Alb. Rec. ix., 59. It embodies the state- ments in the text. It is rather singular that none of the historians of Virginia, (at least, so far as our research has gone,) gives any particulars of these early embassies.
2 Alb. Rec. iv., 100, 107, 111; vii., 328. The following is De Sille's commis- sion, addressed to the Director and Council : " We have deemed it advisable for the better administration of the government in New Netherland, to strengthen your Council with another expert and able statesman ; and whereas Nicasius de Sille, the bearer of these open letters, did apply to us forthis appointment, so we have, trusting in the good reports of his character, and confiding in his talents, appointed him First Counsellor to the Director, to reside as such at Fort Amsterdam, and deliberate with you on all affairs relating to war, police and national force ; to keep inviolate all alliances of friendship and commerce, and if feasible, to increase these ; to assist in the administration of justice, criminal as well as civil, and further, to advise you in all events and occurrences which may be brought forward. We address this to your Honors that you might be informed of this our intention, and to have this Nicasius de Sille acknowledged and respected by all the inhabitants, as in our opinion the service of the Com- pany shall hereby be promoted. Amsterdam, 24th July, 1653." Nicasius de Sille was married twice. By his first marriage he had two daughters and one son, Laurence. One of the girls married a Kip. His second wife's name was Tryntie Croegers, by whom he had no family. A misunderstanding broke out between this couple in 1668-9, which was the source of much unhappiness. To reconcile the parties, Governor Nicolls appointed a committee composed of Cornelis van Ruyven, Oloff S. van Cortland, Johannes de Peyster, Johannes van Brugh, and P. Leendertsen van der Grist, to endeavor to bring about a reconciliation. This commission reported that all affection and love were estranged on both sides, and that there was no hope of a reunion between the parties as man and wife, though the husband was more disposed to a reconcilia-
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Cornelis van Ruyven was, at the same time, appointed CHAP. secretary, at thirty-six guilders per month and eighty per II. annum for board, whilst Carel van Brugge was removed to 1653. the custom house, " where he officiated before." Levinus van Ruyven accompanied his brother, as assistant in the secretary's office ; but as he obtained a free passage, he was not to receive any salary for six months. When these changes took place, La Montagne's salary was in- creased to fifty florins per month, and two hundred for board, " so that his debt to the Company may in this manner be liquidated and cancelled."
tion than the woman. An equal division of the property was recommended. Mde. de Sille produced before the commission sealed articles of marriage, on the back of which it was endorsed that they should be opened in the event of the death of one of the parties, and insisted that they could then be opened, as her husband, so far as she was concerned, was virtually dead. The commissioners refused to sanction such a proceeding. De Sille resided in New Utrecht after the surrender, of which place he was one of the first settlers, having built the first stone house in that town. He was secretary to the Dutch villages in 1674. He has left us a brief but interesting " History of the First Beginning of the Town of New Utrecht,"which has been translated by T. G. Bergen, Esq., and published in the Brooklyn Eagle. Mrs. de Sille survived her husband, and died in 1694, leaving by her will all her estate, real and personal, to her cousin Jacobus Croeger. From Laurence de Sille proceed all the branches of that family now in this coun- try. They reside chiefly in the neighborhood of New York and Albany, having dropped the de before the name. The Rev. G. W. Sill, one of the descendants, is at present a clergyman in the State of Missouri.
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CHAPTER III.
Serious discontent prevails on Long Island-Causes thereof-A meeting of delegates at the City Hall-Rupture between them and the Director-general- Further proceedings of the delegates-Negotiations of the Burgomasters and Schepens-Reply of the Director-general-Another convention called-Dele- gates meet-Their remonstrance-Stuyvesant's action thereupon-The dele- gates retort-Threaten to appeal to the States General-Forbid to meet again on pain of corporal punishment-The Director writes to the Dutch villages on Long Island-Gravesend addresses the department of Amsterdam-Accuses them of seeing only through the eyes of interested persons-Warns them of the consequences of their policy-The Dutch at the Manhattans address the magistrates of Amsterdam in support of their remonstrance-Low state of the treasury-Burgomasters and Schepens called on for supplies-Call together the burghers-Demand the surrender of the excise-Stuyvesant will not give it up-Supplies, therefore, refused-Stuyvesant submits-Further de- mands of the burghers, and further misunderstanding-The city authorities appeal to Holland and dispatch a special agent thither.
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