History of the state of New York Vol I, Part 31

Author: Brodhead, John Romeyn, 1814-1873. 4n
Publication date: 1871
Publisher: New York : Harper & Brothers
Number of Pages: 844

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t Thompson's L. I., i., 326 ; ii., N. Y. H. S. Coll., ii., 275.

299

WILLIAM KIEFT, DIRECTOR GENERAL.

nesses." Commissary Van Curler was sent to ascertain CHAP. IX. the faets ; and the sachem's story was found to be true. The arms of the States General had been torn down, and 1640. in their place had been drawn "an unhandsome face."

Kieft's "high displeasure" was instantly aroused ; and 14 May. Van Tien- Van Tienhoven, the provincial secretary, was promptly hoven sent dispatched with the under-schout, a sergeant, and twenty to dislodge e intrud- ers.

men, to break up the settlement, arrest the trespassers, and bring them to Fort Amsterdam. It was a whole day before the expedition reached the Schout's Bay. When 15 May. Van Tienhoven arrived at the English settlement, he found one house already built, another in progress, and " eight men, one woman, and a babe ;" for Howe and the rest of his party, anticipating the danger which threaten- ed them, had already prudently retired. The trespassers The En- stated that they had been authorized to settle themselves passers glish tres- there by " a Scotehman named Farrett, the agent of Lord Manhattan. brought to Stirling," who had left for New Haven, after the Dutch arms had been thrown down. Sayre and five more of the party were immediately arrested and conveyed to Fort Amsterdam, where they were examined by the director 16 May. and council. Satisfied that they had been instigated by others, Kieft liberated them from arrest, three days after- 19 May. ward, upon their signing an agreement to " leave the ter- ritory of their High Mightinesses."

Thus ended the attempt to plant an English colony within the present county of Queens. Kieft immediately Kieft addressed a letter, " in Latin," to Governor Dudley at Governor writes to Boston, complaining of " the English usurpations," both Boston. at Connectieut and on Long Island, and of the insult of- fered to the Dutch arms at Sehout's Bay by the Lynn trespassers. Dudley returned an answer, also in Latin, Dudley's professing the desire to maintain a neighborly correspond- reply. ence ; and that as to the Connectieut people, "they were not under our government, and for those at Long Island, they went voluntarily from us."*

* Alb. Rec., ii., 83-93 ; Hazard, ii., 213, 264 ; Winthrop, ii., 6, 7 ; Lechford, 44 ; O'Call., i., 216; Thompson, ii., 52; Wood, 9; Vertoogh van N. N., ut sup., 275 ; Trumbull, i.,

Dudley at

300

HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

CHAP. IX.

1640. Settlement of South- ampton.

12 June.

The ejection of the trespassers from Manhassett led, however, to the immediate settlement of the town of South- ampton, within the present county of Suffolk. Finding that the New Netherland authorities, while they utterly derided Lord Stirling's claim, were chiefly anxious to maintain their possession of the western extremity of Long Island, Farrett now determined to gain a permanent foothold at the east, near Lion Gardiner's settlement. He therefore released to Howe, Sayre, and Howell, and their associates, "all patent right of all those lands lying and being bounded between Peaconeck and the easternmost point of Long Island, with the whole breadth of the said island from sea to sea." The consideration stated by Far- rett was "barge hire, besides they being drove off by the Dutch from the place where they were by me planted," and a sum of money, " all amounting unto four hundred pounds sterling."* Under this release, Howe and his as- sociates came to Southampton, and obtained a conveyance of the Indian title in the following winter. The new plant- ation extended eastward from Canoe Place, on Shinnecock Bay, nearly to Sag Harbor, opposite Shelter Island, "com- 1641. monly known by the name of Mr. Farrett's Island." The first town meeting was held early the next spring ; and regular records were then commenced, which exist in good preservation.t

13 Dec.

6 April.

1640. Southold colonized under the jurisdic- tion of New Ha- ven.

The adjoining town of Southold, on the north side of Peconick Bay, was settled nearly at the same time. Its first colonists were natives of England, who accompanied their minister, John Youngs, from Hingham, in Norfolk, and first came to New Haven. From there they crossed over to "Yennecock," near Greenport, and secured the Indian title to the land. The conveyance was taken in the name of New Haven, which for some years exer- cised a limited control over the settlement. A church 119, 122. Savage, in a note on Winthrop, ii., p. 5, justly remarks that Trumbull's ac- count is " not very satisfactory ;" and adds, " the right appears to me to have been on the side of the Dutch."

* Lond. Doc., i., 60, 63 ; N. Y. Col. MSS., iii., 21, 22 ; App., note N.

Southampton Rec .; Thompson's L. I., i., 326-328. In 1644, Southampton became "associated and joined" to the jurisdiction of Connecticut .- Col. Rec. Conn., 112, 566.

301

WILLIAM KIEFT, DIRECTOR GENERAL.

was "gathered anew ;" and the English colonists at South- CHAP. IX. old, like their neighbors at Southampton, quietly pursued their own way, without any opposition from the govern- 21 October. 1640. ment at Fort Amsterdam .*

Though an air of progress and improvement was al- Tardy agri- ready manifest in the neighborhood of Manhattan and coloniza- cultural Fort Orange, the unadjusted difficulties between the com- Nether- tion of New land. pany and the patroons hindered the prosperity of the rest . of New Netherland. Even the plantation which De Vries had established at Staten Island languished for want of proper colonists, for whom he had depended upon his part- ners at Amsterdam ; and finding " a beautiful situation" of full sixty acres of natural meadow-land on the river 10 Feb. side, about five miles above Fort Amsterdam, he went there to live, partly " for the pleasure of it," and partly as there was hay enough for two hundred head of cattle, " which was a great article there." Well, however, as the patroon was acquainted with the southern and eastern coasts of New Netherland, he had never yet gone up the North River. His enterprising nature now led him to Voyage of visit Fort Orange, to "see the country there ;" and his to Fort Or- De Vries circumstantial Journal-the only known narrative of any ange. Dutch navigator, except those given by De Laet and Pur- chas-has left us an interesting record of the North River in the year 1640.

Sailing from Fort Amsterdam in his own sloop, De Vries 15 April. arrived in the evening at " Tapaen," where he found a Tappan. beautiful valley under the mountains, of about five hund- red acres in extent, and through which ran a fine stream, offering attractive mill-seats. Delighted with the spot, which, moreover, was so near Fort Amsterdam, he pur- chased it from the Indians. From Tappan he crossed over to Weckquaesgeek,t where he observed the beautiful un- quaesgeek. Weck-

* Trumbull, i., 119 ; Thompson, i., 374, 391.

t Van Tienhoven, in 1650, described this region, which is now the town of Green- burg, in West Chester county, as a fine land for cultivation, and well watered. “It is situated between two streams called Sintsinck and Armonck."-Hol. Doc., v., 134. Bol- ton supposes these streams to be, the one which runs through Sing Sing, and the Byram River. This region is even now remarkable for its deciduous trees, among which are many of that most beautiful of all evergreens, the American hemlock.

302

HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

CHAP. IX. dulating country full of evergreens, whence the ship-build- 1640. ers at Manhattan were accustomed "to procure green masts."

26 April. Haver- straw.

While passing Haverstraw, a creek was noticed, where there was a waterfall, which " made such a noise that it could be heard from the river." At noon the sloop entered the majestic Highlands, "which are prodigiously high · stony mountains," where the river, at its narrowmost, was " not over five or six hundred paces wide." About sun- set, reaching the " Dans-kamer," where there was a party of riotous savages, who only threatened trouble, the sloop's company " stood well on their guard."*

The High- lands.

Dans-ka- mer.

27 April. Esopus.

Catskill.

28 April. Beeren Isl- and.

Brandt Peelen's Island.

The next day they came to the " Esoopes," where " a creek emptied, and the Indians had some cleared corn- land." In the evening they reached "the Catskill," " where there was some open land, upon which the Indians were planting corn. Up to this place the river banks were "all stony and hilly," and were judged to be " unfit for dwellings." At the " Beeren Island" many Indians were found fishing, and the beautiful meadows which skirted the river's banks were noticed as very " good for cultiva- tion." Toward evening the sloop arrived at Brandt Peel- en's, or Castle Island, " which lies a little below Fort Or- ange." Inviting De Vries to his house, Peelen astonished his guest by telling him that, for ten successive years, he had raised beautiful wheat there without ever summer- fallowing the land.t

30 April. Great freshet.

While De Vries was enjoying Peelen's hospitality, a sud- den freshet inundated the island, which was ordinarily seven or eight feet above the tides. The flood lasted three days, during which the colonists were obliged to desert their houses and betake themselves to the woods, where

* The "Dans-kamer" is a point on the west side of the river, above Newburg, which still retains the name that the Dutch gave it before 1640. It means "Dance Chamber."

t De Vries, 151-153. This statement is confirmed by Megapolensis, in his Tract upon the Mohawk Indians, Hazard, i., 519 ; and by Van der Donck, in his Description of N. N., p. 27 ; ii., N. Y. H. S. Coll., i., 159, who says, " I had the land adjoining this same farm, and have seen the eleventh crop, which was tolerably good. The name of the man who did this was Brandt Peelen, a native of the province of Utrecht, and at that time a schepen in the colonie of Rensselaerswyck."

303

WILLIAM KIEFT, DIRECTOR GENERAL.

they " pitched tents and kindled great fires." The waters CHAP. IX. even ran into Fort Orange. This freshet was probably the highest that had occurred on the North River since the 1640. great flood, which in 1617 swept away the first Fort Nassau.

The experience which De Vries had gained as a pa- Proprietors troon of Swaanendael did not incline him to look very laerswyck. of Rensse- favorably upon the proprietors of Rensselaerswyck ; who, " being commissaries of New Netherland," had taken good care of themselves, while the "naked fort" Orange was the West India Company's sole possession. The patroons had all " the farms around, and the traffic, and every peasant was a trader."

Yet the colonists lived amid nature's richest profusion. Abundant In the forests, by the water-side, and on the islands, grew products of natural a rank abundance of nuts and plums ; the hills were cov- the colony. ered with thiekets of blackberries ; on the flat lands, near the rivers, wild strawberries came up so plentifully, that the people went there to "lie down and eat them." Vines covered with grapes, " as good and sweet as in Holland," clambered over the loftiest trees. Deer abounded in the forests, in harvest-time and autumn, "as fat as any Hol- land deer can be." Enormous wild turkeys, and myriads of partridges, pheasants, and pigeons, roosted in the neigh- boring woods. Sometimes the turkeys and deer came down to the houses and hog-pens of the colonists to feed ; and a stag was frequently sold by the Indians for "a loaf of bread, or a knife, or even for a tobacco-pipe." The riv- er produced the finest fish; and there was a "great plenty of sturgeon," which at that time the " Christians did not make use of, but the Indians eat them greedily." Flax and hemp grew spontaneously ; peltries and hides were brought in great quantities by the savages, and sold for trifles ; " the land was very well provisioned with all the necessaries of life.". European manufactured goods, cloths, woolens, and linens were alone scarce and dear .*

The colonie of Rensselaerswyek was the only successful population.

* De Vries, 152, 153 ; Megapolensis, in Hazard, i., 517-519.

Progress of

304

HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

CHAP. IX. patroonship under the charter of 1629; and the marvel- 1640. ous crops of corn which Peelen raised on his fertile island were for many years the wonder of New Netherland. Con- stant emigration from Holland rapidly increased its popu- lation ; and comfortable farm-houses, many of them built at the patroon's expense, arose at various points. Bevers- wyck was already a village. Had the colonists contented themselves with agriculture, instead of seeking to become traders as well, the prosperity of the frontier settlement of the province would have been assured.

Bevers- wyck ..

Jurisdic- tion of the patroons.

Fort Or- ange.

Arendt van Curler continued to act as the commissary of the colonie and the representative of the patroon. His jurisdiction included all the territory on both sides of the North River, between Beeren Island and the mouth of the Mohawk, except the precinct of Fort Orange. This post, which was the property of the West India Company when the first purchases in its neighborhood were made by Van Rensselaer, was always occupied by a small garrison, com- manded by officers under the immediate direction of the provincial authorities at Manhattan .*

Judicial powers of the pa- troons.

According to the Charter of Privileges, the patroon was invested with the "chief command and lower jurisdiction" within his colonie. In person, or by deputy, he might ad- minister justice, and pronounce and execute sentences for all degrees of crime. He had the power of life and death. He could decide civil suits. The right of appeal to the director and council at Manhattan was, indeed, nominally reserved to the colonists ; but the right was virtually an- nulled by the obligation under which all the colonists upon Colonial ju- the manor were obliged to come, not to appeal from the judg- ments of the manorial tribunals. The civil law, the ordi- nances of the Province of Holland and of the United Neth- erlands, and the edicts of the West India Company, and 1 of the director and council at Manhattan, were the legal code of New Netherland. The same code obtained when

rispru- dence and govern- ment.

* Mr. Barnard, in his sketch (p. 127), affirms that the Company "did not own a foot of land within the colony ;" and that "the soil on which Fort Orange stood was included in the purchase made by the patroon." These statements, however, do not agree with the evidence in our colonial records ; see post, p. 521

305

WILLIAM KIEFT, DIRECTOR GENERAL.

duly published within the colonie ; and the colonists, in CHAP. IX. addition, were subjected to such laws and regulations as the patroon or his local officers might establish. Theoret- 1640. ically, the patroon was always present in his court baron. Practically, the goverment of the colony was adminis- tered by a court composed of two commissaries and two schepens, assisted by the colonial secretary and the sehout. The laws and eustoms of the eolonie partook largely of the Feudal spirit of feudalism. The terms of the leases under which manorial the farms were held required a return of all produce ; and tions. institu- of this produce the patroon had the pre-emptive right. An annual ground-rent was levied on each house erected. When property changed hands, the patroon was privileged to have the first offer ; and if he deelined to purchase, he was entitled to a certain proportion of the consideration money received. He was the legal heir of all intestates. Without his leave, none could fish or hunt within the manor. At the patroon's mills alone could the colonists grind their corn.

The greater part of the colonists were farmers and their Condition servants, who had been sent out from Holland at the pa- nists. troon's expense. For these farmers lands were set apart, houses ereeted, and stock and agricultural implements pro- vided. Besides these substantial encouragements, small advances of money and supplies of clothing were frequent- ly furnished to the emigrant on his leaving Holland. These advances the colonist was to repay after his arrival with a large interest. The capital of the patroon was free- ly and liberally expended ; and the emigrant began his frontier toil with more ample resources and with greater facilities than the first tenants of a wilderness generally enjoy. Yet the seheme of feudal colonization was not a happy one, either for emigrant or patroon. Apart from Results of the politieal evils which it entailed, it necessarily intro- at Rensse- the systein duced a system of accounts which encouraged deeeit and laerswyck. tempted to dishonesty. The payments of the colonists be- gan to fall in arrear; the patroon's revenue suffered; and he felt himself obliged, before long, to instruet his eolonial

spirit of the

of the colo-

306

HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

CHAP. IX. officers that there was "no latitude to be given to the 1640. consciences or discretion of the boors, but the law to be stringently enforced."*

De Vries visits the Cohooes.

The Mo- hawk In- dians.

Anxious to see the interior of the country, De Vries went through the forests with several Indians to visit the Mohawk. The Falls of the Cohooes seemed to him "as high as a church ;"t the waters, as they ran over, were " as clear as crystal, and as fresh as milk." Within the sound of their roar lived "Broer Cornelis,"# at that time the frontier colonist of New Netherland. The Mohawks were noticed as a brave people, who had " brought the other tribes under contribution." They had enormous ca- noes, hollowed out of trees, and easily conveying eighteen or twenty men. Their arms were bows and arrows, and stone axes and hammers, until they got guns from the Dutch. "But he was a rascal who first sold them, and showed their use ; for they said that it was the Devil, and did not dare to touch them. There used to be but one In- dian who went about with a gun, whom they called Kal- lebacker."§

14 May. De Vries returns to Manhattan. 15 May.

After a six weeks' sojourn, De Vries took leave of the commander at Fort Orange, and sailing rapidly down the river, anchored, in the evening, at Esopus, " where a creek empties, and there is some corn land where some Indians live."Il Setting sail at dawn of the next day, he observed at the Dans-kamer " many Indians a fishing ;" and pass- ing onward through the Highlands without any adven-

* Hol. Doc., v., 364, 380, ii., N. Y. H. S. Coil., ii., 330, 334 ; Renss. MSS .; O'Call., i , 320-326, 442 ; Moulton, 391 ; Barnard's Sketch, 118-121.

+ With less accuracy than De Vries, Van der Donck several years afterward " guess- ed" these falls to be one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet high .- Besch. van N. N., p. 9. Megapolensis (Hazard, i., 519), on the other hand, exactly coincides with De Vries. There is a remarkable similarity-almost an identity-in parts of the descriptions by these two writers. Megapolensis's tract was written in 1644, and published in 1651. As De Vries did not print his journal until 1655, several years after his return to Holland, I think it very probable that he adopted much of Megapolensis's work, in regard to affairs at Fort Orange, in preference to his own less polished language. This would account for his anachronism about Jogues.

# This person was otherwise known as Cornelis Antonissen van. Slyck, whose name survives in that of an island opposite Schenectady. § De Vries, 158.

Il De Vries uses almost the same expressions in referring to Esopus, on the 27th of April, as he passed up the river. On neither occasion does he speak of any redoubt as then existing ; nor to the presence, at that or any previous time, of Dutch traders there.

307

WILLIAM KIEFT, DIRECTOR GENERAL.

ture, he anchored over night at Tappan. The next morn- CHAP. IX. ing, a strong ebb tide and a fresh gale from the north- west carried the sloop, in three hours, safely to Fort Am- 16 May. 1640. sterdam. In the judgment of De Vries, the mountain- bordered stream was "little fitted to be peopled ;" for he had seen only "here and there a little corn-land, which the Indians had prepared by removing the stones." Yet his mariner's eye observed with admiration that "the tide runs up the whole river to Fort Orange ;" and per- haps, even at that early day, there were not wanting those who foresaw the swelling commerce which now rolls be- tween its cultivated banks .*

Up to this time, the intercourse between the Dutch and Relations the Indians had been, upon the whole, friendly ; and with Indians. with the the opening of the fur trade, a large prosperity promised to visit New Netherland. But freedom soon ran into abuses ; and the temptation of gain led to injurious ex- eess. The colonists soon began to neglect agriculture for the quicker profits of traffic with the savages. 'To push their trade to the best advantage, the colonists separated themselves from each other, and settled their abodes "far in the interior of the country." Presently they began to allure the savages to their houses " by excessive familiar- ity and treating." This soon brought them into contempt Results of with the Indians, who, not being always used with im- dom of the the free- fur trade. partiality, naturally became jealous. Some of the sava- ges, too. were occasionally employed as domestic servants by the Dutch. This unwise conduct only produced evil. The Indians frequently stole more than the amount of their wages ; and, running away, they acquainted their tribes with the habits, mode of life, and exact numerical strength of the colonists. The knowledge thus gained was used, before long, with fatal effect against the Europeans, whose presence now began to inconvenience the aborig- ines. For the colonists, in their avidity to procure pel- Difficulties tries, neglected their cattle, which, straying away without savages. herdsmen, injured the unfenced eorn-fields of the savages.

* De Vries, 152-161.

308

HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

.CHAP. IX. Finding this the cause of much complaint, Kieft issued a 1640. proclamation, requiring all the inhabitants whose land ad- joined that of the Indians to inclose their farms, so as to 9 May. prevent trespasses upon the red men. The evil, how- ever, continued ; and the Indians avenged themselves by " killing the cattle, and even the horses," of the Dutch .*

The Iro- quois sup- plied with fire-arms.

The most unhappy result of all was the supplying of the savages with new weapons of offense. The Iroquois warriors, from the day they first recoiled before the arque- buses of Champlain, dreaded the superiority of the Euro- peans. At first they considered a gun " the Devil," and would not touch it. But the moment they became ac- customed to their use, they were eager to possess the fire- arms of Europe. No merchandise was so valuable to them. For a musket they would willingly give twenty beaver skins. For a pound of powder they were glad to barter the value of ten or twelve guilders. Knowing the impolicy of arming the savages, the West India Company, in wise sympathy with the English government, had de- clared contraband the trade in fire-arms; and had eyen forbidden the supply of munitions of war to the New Neth- erland Indians, under penalty of death. But the lust of large gains quickly overcame prudence. The extraordi- nary profits of the traffic early became generally known ; and the colonists of Rensselaerswyck and " free traders" from Holland soon bartered away to the Mohawks enough guns, and powder, and bullets for four hundred warriors. In the neighborhood of Manhattan, where a more rigid po- lice was maintained, the supply of arms was prevented. This, however, only excited the hatred of the river tribes against the Dutch ; for the Iroquois, in full consciousness of their renovated power, now not only carried open war into their enemies' country along the Saint Lawrence and the Great Lakes, but, more haughtily than ever, exacted the tribute which they claimed from the subjugated tribes between the Mohawk and the sea.t

The river Indians of- fended.

* Journal van N. N., in Hol. Doc., iii., 97-102 ; Alb. Rec., ii., 81. .

t Journal of N. N., in Hol. Doc., iii., 103; Report, in Hol. Doc., ii., 368 ; O'Call., i., 224, 419 ; De Vries, 158; Doc. Hist. N. Y., iv., 5, 6, 7, 8.

309

WILLIAM KIEFT, DIRECTOR GENERAL.

While the river Indians were brooding over what they CHAP. IX. thought the unjust partiality of the Dutch toward the Ir- oquois, a new provocation was added to the existing an- 1640. The In- noyance. Kieft, alleging "express orders" from Hol- dians near Manhattan land, unwisely determined to exaet the contribution of become more exas- corn, furs, and wampum from the savages in the neigh- perated. borhood of Fort Amsterdam, which he had resolved upon the previous autumn. The directors of the Amsterdam Chamber afterward positively denied that they had ever authorized the measure, or even knew that the contribu- tion had been exacted .* But the mischief was already done.

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History of the state of New York Vol I, Part 31

Author: Brodhead, John Romeyn, 1814-1873. 4n Publication date: 1871 Publisher: New York : Harper & Brothers Number of Pages: 844

Author: Brodhead, John Romeyn, 1814-1873. 4n
Publication date: 1871
Publisher: New York : Harper & Brothers
Number of Pages: 844