being a race of brifk, likely, pleasant tongued varlets, they foon feduced the light affections of the fimple damfels from their ponderous Dutch gallants. Among other hideous customs, they attempted to introduce among them that of bundling, which the Dutch laffes of the Nederlandts, with that eager passion for novelty and foreign fashions natural to their fex, feemed very well inclined to follow, but that their mothers, being more experienced in the world, and better acquainted with men and things, ftrenuoufly difcountenanced all fuch outlandish innovations.

But what chiefly operated to embroil our ancestors with these ftrange folk, was an unwarrantable liberty which they occafionally took, of entering in hordes into the territories of the New-Netherlands, and settling themselves down, without leave or licence, to improve the land, in the manner I have before noticed. This unceremonious mode of taking poffeffion of new land was technically termed squatting, and hence is derived the appellation of squatters; a name odious in the ears of all great landholders, and which is given to those enterprising worthies, who feize upon land first, and take their chance to make good their title to it afterwards.

All these grievances, and many others which were conftantly accumulating, tended to form that dark and portentous cloud, which, as I obferved in a former chapter, was flowly gathering over the tranquil province of New-Netherlands. The pacific cabinet of

Van Twiller, however, as will be perceived in the fequel, bore them all with a magnanimity that redounds to their immortal credit-becoming by paffive endurance inured to this increafing mafs of wrongs; like the fage old woman of Ephefus, who by dint of carrying about a calf from the time it was born, continued to carry it without difficulty when it had grown to be an ox.

CHAP. VIII.

How the Fort Goed Hoop was fearfully beleaguered-how the renowned Wouter fell into a profound doubt, and how he finally evaporated,

By this time my readers must fully perceive what an arduous task I have undertaken-collecting and collating with painful minutenefs the chronicles of past times, whose events almost defy the powers of research-exploring a little kind of Herculaneum of history, which had lain nearly for ages, buried under the rubbish of years, and almoft totally forgottenraking up the limbs and fragments of disjointed facts, and endeavouring to put them scrupulously together, fo as to restore them to their original form and connection-now lugging forth the character of an almoft forgotten hero, like a mutilated statue-now decyphering a half defaced inscription, and now lighting upon a mouldering manuscript, which, after painful ftudy, scarce repays the trouble of perusal.

In fuch cafe how much has the reader to depend upon the honour and probity of his author, left, like a cunning antiquarian, he either impofe upon him some spurious fabrication of his own, for a precious relique from antiquity-or elfe dress up the dismembered fragment, with fuch falfe trappings, that it is fcarcely poffible to distinguish the truth from the fic

tion with which it is enveloped. This is a grievance which I have more than once had to lament, in the course of my wearifome researches among the works of my fellow hiftorians; who have ftrangely difguifed and diftorted the facts refpecting this country; and particularly respecting the great province of NewNetherlands; as will be perceived by any who will take the trouble to compare their romantic effufions, tricked out in the meretricious gauds of fable, with this authentic history.

I have had more vexations of the kind to encounter, in thofe parts of my hiftory which treat of the tranfactions on the eastern border, than in any other, in confequence of the troops of historians who have infefted those quarters, and have fhewn the honest people of Nieuw-Nederlandts no mercy in their works. Among the reft, Mr. Benjamin Trumbull arrogantly declares that "the Dutch were always mere intruders."-Now to this I fhall make no other reply, than to proceed in the steady narration of my history, which will contain not only proofs that the Dutch had clear title and poffeffion in the fair valleys of the Connecticut, and that they were wrongfully difpoffesfed thereof-but likewise that they have been scandaloufly maltreated ever fince, by the mifreprefentations of the crafty hiftorians of New-England. And in this I shall be guided by a spirit of truth and impartiality and a regard to immortal fame for I would not wittingly dishonour my work by a fingle falfe

hood, mifrepresentation or prejudice, though it should gain our forefathers the whole country of NewEngland.

It was at an early period of the province, and previous to the arrival of the renowned Wouter, that the cabinet of Nieuw-Nederlandts purchased the lands about the Connecticut, and established, for their fuperintendence and protection, a fortified poft on the banks of the river, which was called Fort Goed Hoop, and was fituated hard by the prefent fair city of Hartford. The command of this important poft, together with the rank, title, and appointments of commiffary, were given in charge to the gallant Jacobus Van Curlet, or, as fome hiftorians will have it, Van Curlis-a most doughty foldier, of that ftomachful clafs of which we have such numbers on parade days--who are famous for eating all they kill. He was of a very foldierlike appearance, and would have been an exceeding tall man, had his legs been in proportion to his body; but the latter being long, and the former uncommonly fhort, it gave him the uncouth appearance of a tall man's body, mounted upon a little man's legs. He made up for this turnfpit conftruction of body by throwing his legs to fuch an extent when he marched, that you would have fworn he had on the identical feven league boots of the farfamed Jack the giant killer; and fo aftonishingly high did he tread, on any great military occafion, that his foldiers were oft times alarmed, left he should trample himself under foot.