Yea; which he could not understand, how this good God should 'inflict Evil, that is Death. But there was no one to furnish him proper instruction; he therefore remains in his darkness. When they have a corpse, they place it, in the act of dying, squat on the heels, like children sitting in this country before the fire; and so lay it in the grave, all sitting; its face to the East. the Sickana mers. It appears that the Sickanamers, before mentioned, make a sort of sacrifice. They have a hole in a hill in which Sacrifice by they place a kettle full of all sorts of articles that they have, either by them, or procured. When there is a great quantity collected a snake comes in, then they all depart, and the Manittou, that is the Devil, comes in the night and takes the kettle away, according to the statement of the Koutsinacka, or Devil hunter, who presides over the ceremony. This Pieter Barentz, already spoken of, is conversant with all languages. the Tribes thereabout; he traded with the Sickenames, Variety of to whom the whole North coast is tributary; with the Sinnekox, Wappenox, Maquaes and Maikans, so that he visited all the Tribes with sloops and traded in a friendly manner with them, only for peltries. And he brought back this year a valuable cargo in the ship the Arms of Amsterdam, whereof Adriaen Joris is Skipper, who went out there on the 19th of December of the year 1625 with the ship the Sea-gull (het Meeutje) and conveyed Pieter Minuit aforesaid, who now sends for his wife thither. The Sea gull arrived there 4th May, 1626. West India New Nether TWO SHIPS came from New Netherland for the benefit of the said (W. I.) Company, with ten thousand Peltries, or Oct. 1628. skins, together with a large quantity of timber, fit for ships from the building of the vessels which are shortly to be land. launched. Those ships were despatcht by the Commander there, called Minuict; one ship was the Three Kings, Skipper Jan Jacobsz. of Wieringh; the other was, the Arms of Amsterdam. 1 Sent in 1627 from the Dutch as Delegate to New Plymouth. The government over the people of New Netherland continued on the 19th of August of this year in the aforesaid Government. Minuict, successor to Verhulst, who went thither from Holland on 9th January, Anno, 1626, and took up his residence in the midst of a nation called Manhates, building a fort there, to be called Amsterdam, having four points and faced outside entirely with stone, as the walls of sand fall down, and are now more compact. The population consists of two hundred and seventy souls, including Men, Women and Children. They remained as yet without the Fort, in no fear, as the Natives live peaceably with them. They are situate three miles from the Sea, on the River by us called Mauritius, by others, Rio de Montagne. These strangers for the most part occupy their farms. Whatever they require is supplied by the Directors. The Occupation. Winter grain has turned out well there, but the Summer grain which ripened before it was half grown in consequence of the excessive heat, was very light. The cattle sent thither have had a good increase, and every thing promises better, as soon as the land is improved, which is very poor and scrubby. There are now no families at Fort Orange, situated higher up the River among the Maikans. They are all brought down. They keep five or six and twenty persons, Traders, there. Bastiaen Jansz Crol is Vice Director there; he remained there since the year 1626, when the others came down. State of Orange. Trade. Those of the West India Company have removed all those who were at the South River. Only one trading vessel is kept there. Traders who come from a great distance make mention of Lion skins which will not be bartered, because they are used for clothing, being much warmer than others. Nation. Beyond the South River, in 37 degrees, Englishmen are settled, freemen, but planted there by Merchants on condition Another that they deliver as much tobacco to their masters as is agreed on; the remainder is their own. Considerable trade was carried on with them, and many ships come thither from England. Another On the North side are the English Brownists, who maintain themselves very well and acquire considerable strength, supporting their reputation bravely with the Natives, whom they do not fear, having acted strictly with these from the first, and so continuing. War. In the beginning of this year, war broke out between the Maikans near Fort Orange and the Makwaes, but these beat and captured the Maikans and drove off the remainder who have settled towards the North by the Fresh River, so called; where they begin again to cultivate the soil; And thus the war terminated. Freedoms Inhabitants of land. After the Right Honble Lords Directors of the Privileged West India Company in the United Netherlands, had provided 1630. for the defence of New Netherland and put every thing granted to the there in good order, they taking into consideration the New Nether- advantages of said place, the favorable nature of the air, and soil, and that considerable Trade and goods and many commodities may be obtained from thence, sent some persons, of their own accord, thither with all sorts of cattle and implements necessary for agriculture, so that in the year 1628 there already resided on the Island of the Manhattes, two hundred and seventy souls, men, women & children, under Governor Minuit, Verhulst's successor, living there in peace with the Natives. But as the land, in many places being full of weeds and wild productions, could not be properly cultivated in consequence of the scantiness of the population, the said Lords Directors of the West India Company, the better to people their lands, & to bring the country to produce more abundantly, resolved to grant divers Privileges, Freedoms and Exemptions to all Patroons, Masters or Individuals who should plant any Colonies and cattle in New Netherland, and they accordingly have constituted and published in print these following Exemptions, to afford better encouragement and infuse greater zeal into whomsoever should be inclined to reside and plant his Colonie in New Netherland. [Here follows the "Charter of Patroons," already printed in various works on the History of New-York.] 1 Connecticut River. EARLY DUTCH SETTLEMENT ON THE DELAWARE. [Deed Book, VII.] N.York, february 14: 1684-5. The Deposicon of Catelina Trico aged fouer score yeares or thereabouts taken before the right honoble. Coll. Thomas Dongan Leut. and Governour under his Royll. highss. James Duke of Yorke and Albany etc. of N York and its Dependencyes in America who saith and Declares in the p'sens of God as followeth That she Came to this Province either in the yeare one thousand six hundred and twenty three or twenty fouer to the best of her remembrance, and that fouer Women Came along with her in the same Shipp, in which ship the Governor Arian Jorissen Came also over, which fouer Women were married at Sea and that they and their husbands stayed about three Weekes at this place and then they with eight seamen more went in a vessell by ord". of the Dutch Governor. to Dellaware River and there settled. This I Certifie under my hand and ye seale of this province. THO. DONGAN. The Deposicon of Arien Dirksen Korn aged about sixty five yeares being Deposed saith That he Came in this Country of New York formerly called the new Netherlands in the yeare one thousand six hund. and thirty the 24th of May with the ship Vnity John Brower Commander and hath ever since continued here in this country, and saith further that att the said time of his arrivall here this Deponent heard and was Informed by persons then arriving here from Delleware River that the said River was settled by the dutch west India Company who had sent a parcell of men there in order to whale fishing, and this Deponent saith further that some short time After to his best Remembrance it was about one yeare or one yeare and a half after news Came here att New York from Deleware, that all the said people in Delleware were Cutt of by the Indians, and further this Deponent saith nott. Deposed by the said Aron Dirksen Korn Coram me the 16th. March 1684-5. Peter Lawrrnsen aged sixty seaven yeares being deposed saith that he came into this Province a servant to the west india Company in the yeare 1628 and in the yeare 1630 by order of the West india Company hee with seven more were sent in a sloope with hoy sayle to dellaware where the Company had a trading house with ten or twelve servants belonging to it which the deponant himselfe did see there settled, and he further saith that at his returne from Delaware River the said vessell stopt at the hoorekill where the Deponant did alsoe see a settlemt. of a brickhouse belonging to the west India Company, and the Deponant further saith that upon an Island neare the falls of that River and neare the west side thereof the said Company some three or fouer yeares afore had a trading house where there were three or foure familyes of Walloons the place of there settlemt. he saw and that they had been seated there he was Informed by some of the said Walloons themselves When they were returned from thence and further this Deponent saith not. This Deposicon was taken upon oath before me which I doe Certifie under the seale of this Province this 24th of March Ao. 1684-5 in New Yorke. T. D. THE FIRST WHITE WOMAN IN ALBANY. [N. Y. Col: MSS. XXXV.] CATELYN TRICO aged about 83 years born in Paris doth Testify and Declare that in ye year 1623 she came into this Country wth a Ship called ye Unity whereof was Commander Arien Jorise belonging to ye West India Company being ye first Ship yt came here for ye sd Company; as soon as they came to Mannatans now called N: York they sent Two families & six men to harford River & Two families & 8 men to Delaware River and 8 men they left att N: Yorke to take Possession and ye Rest of y |