USA > Pennsylvania > Annals of Pennsylvania, from the discovery of the Delaware > Part 5
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The period for uniting with the company ex- tended. ,
The period for uniting with the company was extended to the 1st of January, 1634, and the people were urged to enter upon the work with zeal and liberality, in which the government tendered its aid and encouragement.1
Pledges and payment of funds in the company.
It appears, by the document left unsigned, that " many persons had already pledged themselves to furnish large sums, and paid in a great part of them, but the object had been postponed and deferred by many powerful hinderances, chiefly, of late, by our wars in Prussia and Germany."
Arent Corssen was this year commissary of Fort Nassau,
1 Argonautica Gustaviana, 1635. Bancroft, vol. ii. p. 284.
35
1227201
PURCHASE OF SCHUYLKILL BY THE DUTCH.
under Van Twiller,1 at which a large house was also directed to be built, and numerous repairs made.
Orders were given to Arent Corssen, to purchase a tract of land on the Schuylkill, on which was afterwards erected a Purchase of
1633.
Fort Bevers-
>> Schuylkill fort called Beversrede, "a place remarkably well situated," by Arent and named thus on account of the beaver trade, which was Corssen. carried on there very briskly with the natives and wild In- rede. dians, "which it was estimated might, for years to come, be brought to amount to thousands. Those from the South, (called Munquassen,) and the wild blacks, are brought down in large quantities; so that this river, for its fitness, hand- some situation, as well in regard of trade as of culture, will always be held by the company and ministers in high estima- tion."2 Under these favourable anticipations, Corssen ob- tained from the chiefs a conveyance, agreeably to the follow- ing confirmation, on record in the office of the West India Company, in 1648, and witnessed by Augustin Hecrmans, Govert Loockermans, Juriaen Plancke, Cornelis Jansen Coele, and Sander Leendertsen.
" We, the subscribers, Amattehooren, Alebackinne, Sin- Indian deed quees, &c., chiefs over the portions of the tracts of land for Schuyl- kill. lying about and on the Schuylkill, called Armenveruis, de- clare, that after a proper and deliberate consideration, we have sold to Arent Corssen, the Schuylkill and adjoining lands, for certain cargoes, for which we were not paid in full, but for which we are fully satisfied at present ; therefore we, the above chiefs, with this, give full and irrevocable authority and power, and confirm the said purchase, and are prepared at all times to stand forth and clear the same of all attempts and claims, and all intentions by anybody. Passed thus, and in token of the truth, by us natives subscribed in pre- sence of the above-named witnesses. Done at Fort Beversrede, the Delaware N. N." Signed by Amattehooren, Sinquees, Alebackinne, Michecksowwabbe, Quironqueckock, Kaucke, and Walpackvouck, with their appropriate marks.3
The foregoing purchase is referred to in a public Dutch document, in 1656, and also in Hudde's report, in 1645, where he says, " in regard to the Schuylkill, these are the lands purchased and possessed by the company."+
1 O'Call. vol. i. p. 142, 156. 2 Holl. Doc. vol. viii. p. 32 to 50, translated.
3 Holl. Doc. vol. viii. p. 55, 56. Also in O'Call. vol. ii. p. 81.
4 Albany Records, vol. xvii. N. Y. Hist. Coll. vol. i. N. S., p. 429, 440
36
GRANT TO SIR EDMUND PLOWDEN.
1634.
June 21.
Grant to Sir Edmund Plowden, of New Albion.
Boundaries.
We have now arrived at a portion of our history which has much perplexed most writers who have preceded us, some of whom have treated it with gravity, while others have been disposed to view the whole subject in the light of fiction. It seems that on the 21st of June, 1634, King Charles, of Eng- land, made a grant to a certain person, named Sir Edmund Plowden, (or Ployden, as it is most frequently written,) knight, &c., which recites, that "whereas our well-beloved and faithful subject, Edward Plowden, knight, from a laud- able and manifest desire, as well of promoting the Christian religion as the extending of our imperial territories, hath formerly discovered, at his own great charges and expenses, a certain island and regions hereafter described, in certain of our lands, to the western part of the globe, commonly called North Virginia, inhabited by a barbarous and wild people, not having any notice of the Divine Being, and hath amply and copiously peopled the same with five hundred per- sons of our subjects, being taken to that colony as companions of the same pious hopes or intentions ; and the colony being founded, elected to himself John Lawrence, knight and baro- net, &c., and hath humbly supplicated our royal highness to erect all that island and region into a province and county palatine, and to give and confirm the same, with certain pri- vileges and jurisdictions, for the wholesome government of the colony and region aforesaid, and the state thereto belong- ing, unto them, their heirs and assigns ; and also praying that we should create and invest the same Edmund Plowden, knight, and his assigns, with the dignities, titles, and privileges of governors of the premises." " Therefore know ye that," &c. " we have given, granted, &c., to the before-named Edmund Plowden, &c., all that entire island, near the continent or terra firma of North Virginia, called Island of Plowden, or Long Island, between 39º and 40°, together with part of the continent or terra firma aforesaid, near adjoining described ; to begin from the point of an angle of a certain promontory called Cape May, and from thence to the westward, for the space of 40 leagues, running by the River Delaware, and closely following its course by north latitude, unto a certain rivulet there, arising from a spring of the Lord Baltimore, in the lands of Maryland, and the summit aforesaid to the south,
37
1634. -
GRANT OF NEW ALBION.
where it touches, joins and determines in all its breadth ; from thence takes its course into a square, leading to the north by a right line for 40 leagues, &c. ; thence likewise by a square, inclining to east, in a right line, for the space of 40 leagues, to the river and part of Reacher Cod, and descends to a savannah, touching and including the top of Sandheey, where it determines; and from thence toward the south by a square, stretching to a savannah, which passes by and washes the shore of the island of Plowden aforesaid, to the point of the promontory of Cape May, above mentioned, terminates where it began," &c.
The grant then continues, " with all and singular, islands and isles, floating, or to float, and being in the sea, within 10 leagues of the shore of the said region," all ports for ship- ping, and creeks of the sea, lands, grounds, woods, lakes, salt waters and rivers adjoining, "with fishery of all kinds of fish, whales, and sturgeon, and all other royalties in the sea or fishing rivers ;" all gold, silver, and precious stones, and otherwise, &c. The churches to be built " may be held, &c., as by any bishop of Durham." The said Sir Edmund, heirs and assigns, to be true and absolute lords, &c., (saving the faith and allegiance to the king,) with " such titles, ad- ditions, dignity and privileges as George Calvert, knight, within the province or county palatine of Glastonbury, within our new lands, or as said Lord Baltimore, within Maryland, &c. ; " the said Edmund to hold, possess, &c., the said title, addition, dignity, and privilege of earl palatine, or office of governor, &c. The region granted " we erect and incorpo- rate, and the same nominate or call New Albion," not to be subject to or dependent upon Virginia or New England ; may make laws, create manors, and in short do all other things.
It is added, " that he settled the said province, and resided therein, and acted as chief governor for many years."
Having obtained this grant, it appears, from another do- Lease and re- cument of the same date, that an agreement was entered into lease to Sir Thomas between the Right Honourable Sir Edmund Plowden, of Plow- Danby. den, in the county of Salop, knight, lord earl palatine, and governor of the province of New Albion, and Sir Thomas Danby, by which Sir Edmund leases to Sir Thomas, " who hath undertaken to settle 100 persons," 10,000 acres, whereof 9800 are to be bounded in a perfect square, on a part of
D
38
AUTHORITY TO PURCHASE UP PATROONSHIPS.
1634. Rickney wood, within three miles of Watsesset, his lordship's plantation, and 100 acres lying entire and adjoining to Wat- sesset town, &c., paying " one silver penny sterling for ever, for every person resident on the premises, upon certain con- ditions ;" the town to be called Danby Fort. From another paper, it would appear, that the earl had made over to certain persons, as trustees, the whole property, which they now retransfer to his children, "Francis, Lord Plowden, son and heir of Sir Edward, earl palatine, and George Plowden and Thomas Plowden, two other sons of said Edmund, to the use of said Sir Edmund, earl palatine, during his natural life, with power to grant what estate he pleases, in fee simple, fee tail, for life or years, &c.," in consideration of a certain quantity of land given to the trustees for their services.
Such is a brief sketch of the various documents relating to this curious matter, as are contained in vol. i. pp. 160-174, of Hazard's Historical Collections, " taken from papers pub- lished by Charles Varlo, who visited this country in 1784 and 1785, as agent for the Earl of Albion," and who, we understand, then applied to a respectable lawyer in this city, unfortunately for our purpose, since deceased, for the prose- cution of the claim, in a part of which he was, by purchase or otherwise, interested.
Judging, therefore, from these documents, upon their face, it would appear there is reason to suppose that the earl had at least a show of title. But as to his operations under it, what he accomplished, whether he was even in this country, and whether there was such a person, have all been subjects of inquiry. We will refer hereafter to some of the views taken by different persons on the subject.
Nov. 27.
The directors of the West India Company were commis- August 22. sioned, by the Assembly of the XIX., " to treat and transact Authority to with all the patroons and colonists in New Netherlands, for West India Company to purchase the patroon- ships. the purchase of the patroonships, colonies, dignities, houses, buildings, lands, merchandises, and all the rights, effects, appendages and dependencies thereof, which they were in possession of there." Under this authority, the commis- An agree- ment is en- tered into for the purpose. sioners, November 27th, entered into an agreement with the patroons, which was completed next year, for the purchase of Zwanendal from them. This measure was probably ren- dered necessary, by difficulties arising between the company
39
SWEDISH CHARTER CONFIRMED.
and the patroons of New Netherland, in consequence of their 1634. pretensions and demands against the company.1
The charter of the Swedish West India Company was con- firmed in Germany by the deputies at Frankfort, and was December 12. printed at Hamburg, in 1635.
Company's charter con- firmed. Passport to Oloeff Stille.
It does not, however, appear, that matters were yet ripe Swedish for execution, as no decided steps were taken for nearly four years afterwards. The probability is, the project was kept alive, and gradually progressing.2 We have seen, in the possession of a family in this city, descended from one of the Swedes " who, it is supposed, came with the first colony," and " bore an active part," a "passport," dated December 2, 1634, given to Oloeff Petersen Stille, "to the so-called New Sweden," " he wishing to try other places." It is signed by Erick Bielke, of Wyck Penningby and Nynanas. It is rather a certificate of good conduct than a public pass; it is in Swedish, and was copied from the original itself, upon the fly-leaf of the family Swedish bible, by Jonas Lidman, one of the early Swedish ministers at Wicacco. It is mentioned merely to show that the subject was then in agitation, and the certificate was obtained, probably, under the belief that the plan would be carried into effect immediately. The do- cuments before furnished, however, manifest, we think, conclu- sively, that for the reasons before assigned, the scheme originally proposed in 1624 or 1625, had, up to this period, failed to be accomplished.
1635.
By a regular contract signed this day, by the patroon, the February 7. owners of Zwanendal transfer to the directors of the West Sale of India Company, all their right, title, and interest in that Zwanendal by the pa- property, upon the following terms. They agree "to sur- troons to the company, on both sides of the river.
render, as they do hereby, their two colonies named Zwanen- dal, in New Netherland, together with the jurisdictions,
1 See O'Call. vol. i. pp. 160-165, 365, 479.
2 MS. Mem. of Rev. Dr. Collin, former pastor of Wicacco church, who says, "The ancestor, Oloeff Stille, son of Peter Stille, came from the maritime part of the province Upland, in Sweden. A copy of the original passport was taken by Jonas Lidman, who was pastor of Wicacco church from 1720 till nearly 1730." " The time of his arrival here is not on record, but he was pro- bably with the first colony ; he resided on Tinnicum, and was much esteemed by the Indians, who used often to visit him; which Rev. J. Acrelius, pastor of all the congregations, mentions in his book on the Swedish Missions, printed at Stockholm, in 1759." N. C.
40
SALE OF ZWANENDAL TO THE COMPANY.
1635. dignities, lands, rights, and dependencies thereunto belonging, which they there, by virtue of their two distinct sealed patents obtained before the council of New Netherland, resi- dent on the island of Manhattan, dated 15th July, 1630, and 3d June, 1631, in pursuance of letters of conveyance passed by Queskakous and Ensanckes, Sickonesyns, and inhabitants of their villages, and the other by Sawotbouc, Wiewyt, Pemhacky and others, appearing on the aforesaid date, both situate on the South River, as well on the south hook of the bay, as on the east side of said river, with all such houses, buildings, out-houses, as they or their servants may have purchased, erected, or brought there, none excepted, to trade with these, together with their own free goods, without re- serving therein any right of action, placing such property from henceforward in full possession of the aforesaid com- pany, according to the aforesaid original letters, which they do hereby deliver over, consenting at all times to grant to aforesaid company, &c., when required, further conveyance," &c. They engage further to deliver over, "all charters, maps, and papers concerning the aforesaid colonies." The payments were 15,600 guilders, ($6240,) in instalments of one-third, on May 27, 1635, Aug. 27, 1636, November 27, 1637; each partner to receive a special obligation for his interest, "pro quota and rata," " without the one being holden to wait on the other for his money ;" or they may receive or purchase from the company, according to octroy, in whole or in part goods, deducting six per cent. per annum for the un- expired time of credit. The outstanding accounts between the sellers and company to be considered as discharged; and they not be subject to duties on an expected cargo of timber ; and the rights of neither party, in a suit depending between the patroons and company, at Amsterdam, to be impaired. Subscribed by the parties, in Amsterdam, "each for his part in the colony, and no more," February 7, 1635.1
George Holmes makes an at- tempt upon Fort Nassau.
An attempted attack on the company's territory on the South River is made by some English from Connecticut. A certain George Holmes, with twelve or thirteen persons, be- sides his hired man, Thomas Hall, proceeded to Delaware, for the purpose of making a settlement there. Being arrived there, Hall deserted. An attempt by the others was made on Fort Nassau, which failed. They were made prisoners by 1 See the agreement at length, in O'Call. vol. i. p. 481.
41
ARRIVAL OF WILLIAM KIEFT, DIRECTOR-GENERAL.
the Dutch, and sent to Manhattan, in a boat of the company. They were not punished. They are said to have been the first English settlers on Manhattan, near Fort Amsterdam, where they were patronized by the director-general. De Vries furnishes an account of fourteen or fifteen Englishmen arriving in a boat of the company, at Manhattan, who wanted to take Fort Nassau. Hall is said to have hired himself to a farmer, and to have been living on a " small bowery" of the company, in 1650.1
From this period, there is a chasm in the history of the Chasmin the operations of the Dutch on this river, for two or three years, few years. history for a which we have met with no documents or records to supply. From what occurs after that period, it is presumed the esta- blishment at Fort Nassau had been maintained, and that it was probably done with a view to protect some trade which was still carried on there.
1638.
This year arrived at Manhattan, William Kieft, as succes- March 28. sor to Van Twiller, director-general. He came in one of the Arrival of West India Company's ships, called the Herring, of 280 tons burden, " carrying 2 metal, 16 iron, and 2 stone guns." Among the officers and servants of the company are men- tioned, Andreas Huddie, first commissary of wares, (afterwards conspicuous on South River,) Jan Jansen Van Ilpendam, commissary of Fort Nassau, and Peter Mey, assistant." Kieft was the third director-general of New Netherland, and the first who appears prominently to have assumed a direct supervision over the operations on the Delaware.2 He found the fort at New Amsterdam in a decayed state.3
As, during our progress, we have endeavoured to point out the errors of different writers respecting the period of the arrival of the Swedes, we will now furnish some documents, sufficient, as we think, to remove all doubts upon the subject, and which the late researches of John Romeyn Brodhead, Esq., have enabled us to present. By the liberality and public spirit of the legislature of New York, he was commissioned as Historical Agent to Holland, England, and France, in
1 De Vries, p. 259. Holl. Doc. vol. iv. p. 110; vol. v. p. 399. ('Call. vol. i. p. 170.
2 De Laet. O'Call. vol. i. p. 180. Albany Records, vol. i. p. 101. 3 Ibid. 6 D 2
1635.
Wm. Kieft as Director-ge- neral of New Netherlands.
42
ARRIVAL OF THE SWEDES.
1638.
1841, to examine the European archives, and obtain copies of papers, and has returned with the rich fruits of his labours.1.
We have shown, that owing to wars, &c., nothing had been accomplished by the Swedes till after 1635, and now we have their actual arrival announced in an official letter, which, as it has probably never been published, we give entire ; it is an extract of a letter from Jerome Hawley, treasurer of Vir- ginia, to Mr. Secretary Windebanke, dated
" Jamestown, in Virginia, May 8, 1638. -
" Right Hon .- Upon the 20th of March last, I took the Letter from J. Hawley, announcing to the Eng- lish govern- of Swedes in Virginia, May 8. boldness to present you with my letters, wherein I gave only a touch of the business of our Assembly, referring your honour to the general letters then sent by Mr. Kemp, from the go- ment arrival vernor and council. Since which time here arrived a Dutch ship, with commission from the young Queen of Sweden, and signed by eight of the chief lords of Sweden, the copy whereof
1 These valuable documents, which reflect so much credit on the legislature of New York, and whose liberality may be well imitated by our own state, are deposited in the Secretary of State's office at Albany, and are freely accessible to persons desirous of obtaining information from them. We feel ourselves much indebted to the politeness of the secretary and deputy for the conve- niences afforded to us, while engaged for four weeks in examining them, and the numerous volumes previously translated, at the expense, also, of the state, and of which it will be seen we have largely availed ourselves. The Brodhead Documents consist of sixteen volumes of " Holland Documents," in the original language, from which we made some copies, and had them trans- lated, (but we have availed ourselves largely also of the knowledge and labours of E. B. O'Callaghan, Esq., in his excellent work on New Netherlands, for fre- quent reference to them ;) forty-seven volumes of " London Documents," and seventeen volumes of " Paris Documents," in French, making, as the result of Mr. Brodhead's labours, eighty volumes. A catalogue of the individual docu- ments is printed by the state, and occupies alone 374 large pages. The " Hol- land Documents," we understand, are translating by Mr. O'Callaghan, at the expense of the state, who have already expended many thousand dollars in historical information. It is respectfully recommended to our legislature to de- vote the small sum which would be required to employ some person to extract from them those parts which relate to our early history ; and also to procure from Sweden copies of the important materials there, of which, with the ex- ception of the few obtained by the Hon. Jonathan Russel, when minister, and now in possession of the American Philosophical Society, we are wholly igno- rant, and of course that portion of our early history is obscure. Every hour's delay subjects them to the risk of entire destruction, as Mr. Brodhead was mor- tified to learn, when in pursuit of the papers of the Dutch West India Com- pany, he ascertained that, after having been kept so many years, apparently without use, they had been disposed of at auction, as waste papers, so late as 1821; thus for ever excluding all hope of access to the valuable information they contained. And the author would also avail himself of the occasion to say, that unless some course be adopted to arrange and preserve the early records at Harrisburg, which are scattered through the various public buildings, " unknowing and unknown," and in their present state lying useless to the his- torian, they will meet with the same fate as the Dutch documents have done; or be lost for ever, by the destructive hand of time.
43
ARRIVAL OF THE SWEDES.
I would have taken to send to your honour, but the captain would not permit me to take any copy thereof, except he might have free trade for tobacco to carry to Sweden, which being contrary to his majesty's instructions, the governor ex- cused himself thereof. The ship remained here about ten days, to refresh with wood and water, during which time the master of the said ship made known that both himself and another ship of his company, were bound for Delaware Bay, which is the confines of Virginia and New England, and there they pretend to make a plantation, and to plant tobacco, which the Dutch do also already in Hudson's River, which is the very next river northward from Delaware Bay. All which being his majesty's territories, I humbly offer the considera- tion thereof unto your honour, and if his majesty should be pleased to think upon any course, either for removing them, and preventing others from settling upon his majesty's terri- tories, I humbly conceive it may be done by his majesty's sub- jects of these parts, making use only of some English ships that resort hither for trade yearly, and be no charge at all to his majesty."1
In a long, early Holland document, giving a connected account of New Netherlands from the commencement, we find the following passage:
" This river (Delaware) was in the quiet and peaceful pos- Situation of session of the company (West India) for a number of years, and at the until at last a certain person, Peter Minuit, forgetting the benefits bestowed on him by the company, he having been its director in the New Netherlands, kept his eye on it, but not knowing under what pretence he could go there, proceeded to Sweden, where, '(it is said,) he obtained a commission from the government, which had him transported from there imme- diately, with one or two vessels and some Swedes, mostly bandits, to the before-mentioned River Delaware, where he arrived in the year 1638, and thus twelve years after the company had arrived there, where he had a fort built called Christina, about five or six miles below the company's Fort Nassau, notwithstanding they, as the first discoverers and possessors of the before-mentioned river, have protested against this, at several times, by their ministers, as appears from different letters from its director, William Kieft, of which
1638.
Dutch before arrival of the Swedes.
1 Copy from Brodhead's " London Documents," at Albany, vol. i. pp. 57, 58.
44
ARRIVAL OF THE SWEDES.
1638.
the following are extracts." They are addressed to the direc- tors of the West India Company.
Letter from Wm. Kieft to directors. Arrival of Minuit in the Dela- ware, April 28.
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