caused by the shipment of a parcel of provisions to Curaçao by the Musch, acknowledging first, however, that the magazine had been well stocked during the whole summer. But a

child will be able to judge whether that shipment can excuse him of neglect and palpable carelessness, inasmuch as he had, fully three weeks before the dispatch of that vessel, specific tidings of the frigates which have reduced the place and Province, and of their intended coming to attack the aforesaid places. At all events, if it could not be stated as certain, the probability was so manifest that he ought not to have stripped himself of any necessaries. The Company's letter of the 21st of April, to which he appeals, cannot, in any wise, excuse him herefrom, because he was not told therein that the English frigates would not attack him, but simply that such was the report, which they in no wise indorsed. Also, the abovenamed Director and Council, in their letter of the in answer to the abovementioned despatch

of the 21st April, very expressly write that they had been advised that the contrary was a positive and assured fact, and that the Company had been misinformed. In all cases is it notorious that, supposing the aforesaid ship had sailed, according to his own report, the new grain crop was nigh in the barn; nay, 'tis certain that all the barns were overflowing with grain, so that he, being aware of the approach of the English, had time enough to have the grain hauled in and threshed, whereby the want of provisions within would have been obviated. But, it appears that the occasion had been wilfully allowed to slip, in order, forsooth, to palliate the surrender by some show of excuse; the aforesaid Director himself having endeavored, on the 29th of August, after the arrival of the English with their frigates, to have some cattle conveyed thence to the South river under a convoy of 12 soldiers; so that the want of provisions is either a mere pretext, or if true, was owing to inexcusable negligence. The want of cash cannot avail here, inasmuch as the necessity, according to his own showing, was so great that the bouweries must fain dispose of their grain on credit, and would have willingly done so, had the Director-General and Council requested it, which was not the case.

The second excuse consists of, Want of munitions of war. As to this, the Company will not so much consider the powder which was in store, as simply show that all the requisitions for powder ever made by the government of New Netherland, from first to last, were fully honored and received; that Alexander de Hinjossa, the Director of the city's Colonie on the South river, did, in July, 1664, offer to the above named Stuyvesant, in sufficient season, all his gunpowder, amounting to more than 5,000 lbs., with all necessaries, his person and all his people, as a reinforcement, which he can prove by his letters to the government of New Netherland, without the aforesaid Director and Council having been willing to accept the offer; even the aforesaid Director did not secure the gunpowder on board the ships lying before the fort. Accordingly, the blame again lies with the aforesaid Director and Council for having had so small a supply. Yea, from the rejection of the assistance offered by the above named Hinjossa to the Director and Council, it might almost be concluded that they designed wittingly and willingly to surrender the place, and to try to eschew all occasions which could oblige them to maintain it. 'Tis no excuse, that he had endeavored to procure powder from Renslaerswyck and Beverwyck, and that he was refused; because the abovementioned offer being by him rejected, and no sufficient requisitions having, as they ought to have, been made on the Company, this action cannot save him from the charge of negligence, and probably it is put forth in order merely to invent a plea to show that he had acquitted himself of his bounden duty.

The third ground of excuse is: The Burghers were unwilling and not strong enough to defend the city, and if defended, that it was expected to be plundered. Whereupon the Directors will merely observe, that he was intrusted with the defence not of the city alone, but particularly of the fort; that if the Burghers were unwilling to fight, he had a right to consider, that a capital fortress garrisoned by 180 brave soldiers ought not to have been surrendered without making some defence, because the Burghers were not willing to defend the city; but that he was bound to defend it to the utmost, and abandon the Burghers rather than the entire country, without paying any attention to the fear of being plundered; the promises that each one should retain his own property and the enemy's intention to ruin everything; these being rather arguments which cast suspicion on him and the entire government, who were so much interested in farming land there, that they let the country be lost, in order to preserve their own property, saying, in the very words of their letter dated 16th September, 1664, that they would prefer to suffer shipwreck in the empty praise and esteem of the world than, waiting to the last moment without hope of relief, subject everything to bloodshed, or at least to the danger of being plundered.

Fourthly. Despair of relief; without considering that every necessary they had required had been sent them by the Company in the last ships, and provisionally a number of soldiers, not indeed capable of acting offensively against the enemy, but sufficient to maintain and defend the place, with the promise of the continuance thereof. It was, therefore, impossible for them to know for certain that they should not be relieved at an early day; for, had he properly acquitted himself, their High Mightinesses would, without doubt, have ordered the fleet under LieutenantAdmiral de Ruyter,' passing New Netherland about eight months afterwards, to touch at the place and relieve it. At all events, that cannot avail as a sufficient ground of excuse for the surrender of a capital fortress with 24 pieces of artillery, without firing a gun or waiting a shot; he must at least have assured himself that the enemy would have dared to attack him, and having made so much of a defence as his honor and oath demanded, then for the first time have sought, by a good capitulation, to save as much as possible the interest of the State and of the Company.

The last argument is the weakest and unworthy of consideration, to wit: Even had he been subjected to no necessity, nevertheless the Province would have been reduced by this war. 'Twas his duty to defend it until that time had arrived, and not having done so, he hath acted wrong, and surrendered Colonies of this State to the enemy at an improper time.

Having concluded the Company's reflections on the preceding Report, we shall add: That the aforesaid Director-General and Council, over and above all the faults and neglects already demonstrated, did not make the least effort, as they ought to have done, to maintain the fort and repel the enemy; particularly, that they did not take sufficient care of Staten Island, but abandoning it, quitted the Block-house without taking the cannon with them; the enemy being there, not a musket shot from the fort, were allowed to occupy and reduce the whole with fifty men, without firing a gun; that, whilst the enemy were yet out of sight, the Director and Council sent Deputies from the city and fort to inquire the cause of their coming, and thereby afforded them an opportunity to propose that, if the place were voluntarily surrendered, each person should keep his own; the Burghers in consequence behaved badly, so that, without firing a shot, they allowed the two frigates to pass the fort; nay, Fiscal Sylla did, by order of the above named Director-General, forbid the soldiers firing, to prevent the

passage of those ships; that, to the further discouragement of the Burghers, the aforesaid Director did, himself, contrary to all reason, go to the City Hall to communicate to the mass of the citizens the menaces and promises of the English; that he cannot be guiltless of a seditious Remonstrance delivered by the Commonalty to the Director-General and Council, and also signed by the said Director's oldest son, which, forsooth, should have induced them to give up the place; that the foreign force consisted only of four small frigates and a few military, so that the garrison which marched out was stronger than that which marched in; and finally, that the aforesaid Director-General and Council wholly neglected the above named place and surrendered it to the enemy without firing a gun, and sought out all means for the best terms, as soon as free possession of their private property was proposed, and did nothing towards offering the enemy the smallest resistance.

Believing that we have herewith obeyed your High Mightinesses' orders and performed our duty, we shall further leave to your High Mightinesses' profound wisdom what disposition it is proper for you to make in the premises. Only respectfully requesting that your High Mightinesses, on finding the matter so adapted, will be pleased to show that you disapprove of the loss, and particularly of the scandalous surrender of the aforesaid country, and consider such example detrimental to the State.

Which doing, &c.

(Signed),

MICH TEN HOVE. 1611-66

Folio 118. Written Observa

tor Stuyvesant's Report.

Resolution of the States-General.

[From the Register of West India Affairs, 1664-1670, in the Royal Archives at the Hague.]

Tuesday, 12th January, 1666.

Read to the Meeting a certain Memorial of the Directors of the Incorporated tions on Ex-Direc- West India Company of this country, who also exhibited with it, agreeably to their High Mightinesses' resolution of the 19th December last, their written Observations on the Report of Peter Stuyvesant, late Director-General of New Netherland. Which being considered, it is resolved and concluded that the aforesaid Memorial and Observations be placed in the hands of Mess" Huygens and the other their High Mightinesses' Deputies for the affairs of said West India Company, to inspect, examine and report thereon. This resolution shall take effect without reconsideration.

Memorial of Ex-Director Stuyvesant to the States-General.

[From the Original, in the Royal Archives at the Hague; File, West Indie.]

Peter van Stuyvesant, late Director of New Netherland, again humbly submits that he, the Petitioner, did already, in October of the last year, 1665, after having previously communicated a copy to Messrs the Directors of the West India Company at the Amsterdam Chamber, exhibit to you, High and Mighty, his written Report on the capture and reduction of New Netherland aforesaid by the English. Which, with the papers annexed, being then placed in the hands of Messrs Van Ommeren and other their High Mightinesses' Deputies for examination, your High Mightinesses were pleased, on the Petitioner's further request for dispatch and dismissal, to refer the communication to the abovenamed Directors. And as he, the Petitioner, understands, that they had already submitted their opinions thereupon some weeks since to your High Mightinesses, he humbly requests that you will be pleased to grant him communication thereof, in order to his further defence in the premises, if necessary. The case being that the Petitioner has already attended six months to this matter in this country, and now understands that a certain vessel intends to sail for New Netherland within 14 days with your High Mightinesses' permission and consent, which, in all appearance, will not recur again for a year. Therefore he, the Petitioner, again humbly requests dispatch of his case and permission to return to New Netherland in the aforesaid vessel, in order to bring thence his sorrowful wife and family with his property.

Appendix:

Duplicate: No. A.

Appendix: No. 4.

Which doing.

(Signed),

STUYVESANT.

List of Papers which Peter Stuyvesant hath delivered in to verify his Report.
October, 1665.

[For this Document, see, supra, f. 370. ]

Report of Ex-Director Stuyvesant on the surrender of New Netherland; 19th of
October, 1665.

[ Duplicate of Document, supra, p. 363. ]

Remonstrance to the Director and Council.

[Triplicate of Document, supra, p. 248. ]

Extract of a letter from the Receiver, Cornelis van Ruyven, to the Director of the West India Company, Chamber at Amsterdam; dated 9th May, 1665.

[Duplicate of Document, supra, p. 377. ]

Folio 120.

vesand.

Capture of New

Resolution of the States-General.

[From the Register of West India Affairs, 1664 — 1670, in the Royal Archives at the Hague. ]

Friday, 24 April, 1666.

The Petition being read to the meeting of Peter van Stuyvesandt, late Director Ex-Director Stuy of New Netherland, requesting communication of the written Observations Reflections on the delivered to their High Mightinesses by the Directors of the West India Company Netherland. on his, the Petitioner's Report, herebefore exhibited, relating to the reduction and capture of New Netherland by the English; furthermore, praying for leave to sail in a certain vessel permitted by their High Mightinesses to depart for New Netherland, to bring his wife, family and property thence; it is, upon consideration, resolved and concluded that the aforesaid Petition shall be placed in the hands of Mess" Huygens and the other their High Mightinesses' Deputies for naval affairs, to inspect, examine and report.

This resolution shall take effect without reconsideration.

Folio 121.

Resolution of the States-General.

[ From the Register of West India Affairs, 1664-1670, in the Royal Archives at the Hague.]

Saturday, 17th April, 1666.

Heard the Report of Messrs Huygens and the other their High Mightinesses' Deputies for the affairs of the West India Company, who, pursuant to the resolution of the 12th January last, having inspected and examined a certain Memorial of the Directors of said Stuyvesant. Company, also their written Observations on the Report of Peter Stuyvesant, late Director of New Netherland, which, being considered, it is resolved and concluded that copies of the aforesaid Memorial and written Observations shall be placed in the hands of the abovenamed Stuyvesant in order to answer them.