Michaëlius in New-Netherland by the note of the Registrar in the Acta Classicalia, of its truth.

This letter, of which a faithful translation into English is now offered, possesses a peculiar interest independently of its importance in connection with the history of the Church. With the exception of Isaac de Rasières' letters to Governor Bradford, of New-Plymouth, and to Mr. Blommaert, of Amsterdam, it is the only letter extant, within our knowledge, written during the first years of the settlement of New-York by any of the adventurers. While New-England is rich in this kind of material for its history, New-York is, with these exceptions, entirely barren. We read with interest the picture which the writer draws of the privations of the first settlers of New-Amsterdam, of their first cultivation of the land, of the productions of the country, and of the manners and language of the Indians, from all which the reader will derive the means of no unprofitable reflection.

THE HAGUE, April 1, 1858.

HEN. C. MURPHY.

VOL. II.

96

REVEREND JONAS MICHAËLIUS TO THE REVEREND ADRIANUS SMOUTIUS.

Honorable Sir, Well-beloved Brother in Christ, Kind Friend!

DE VREDE CHRISTI:

The favorable opportunity, which now presents itself of writing to you, Right Reverend Sir, I cannot let pass, without embracing it, according to my promise. And I first unburden myself in this communication of a sorrowful circumstance. It has pleased the Lord, seven weeks after we arrived in this country, to take from me my good partner, who has been to me for more than sixteen years, a virtuous, faithful and in every respect amiable yoke-fellow, and I find myself with three children very much discommoded, without her society and assistance. But what have I to say ? The Lord himself has done this, in which no one can oppose Him. Wherefore I should also be willing, knowing that all things must work together for good to those who love God. I hope therefore to bear my cross patiently, and by the grace and help of the Lord, not to let the courage fail me which I stand in need of in my particular duties.

The voyage continued long, namely, from the 24th of January till the 7th of April, when we first set our foot upon this land. Of storm and tempest we have had no lack, particularly about the Bermudas and the rough coasts of this country, the which fell hard upon the good wife and children, but they bore it better as regards sea-sickness and fear, than I had expected. Our fare in the ship was very poor and scanty, so that my blessed wife and children, not eating with us in the cabin, on account of the little room in it, had a worse lot than the sailors themselves; and that by reason of a wicked cook who annoyed them in every way; but especially by reason of the captain himself who, although I frequently complained of it in the most courteous manner, did not concern himself in the least, about correcting the rascal: nor did he, even when they were all sick, give them any thing which could do them any good, although there was enough in the ship; though he himself knew very well where to find it in order, out of meal times, to fill his own belly. All the relief which he gave us, consisted merely in liberal promises, with a drunken head, which promises nothing followed when he was sober, but a sour face, and thus has he played the brute against the officers and kept himself constantly to the wine, both at sea and especially here in the [North] river; so that he has navigated the ship

daily with a wet sail and an empty head, coming ashore seldom to the Council and never to the public Divine Service. We bore all with silence on board the ship; but it grieves me, when I think of it, on account of my wife; the more, because she was placed as she was,-not knowing whether she was pregnant, and because the time was so short which she had yet to live. In my first voyage (*) I travelled much with him, yea, lodged in the same hut, but never knew that he was such a brute and drunkard. But he was then under the direction of Mr. Lam, and now he had the principal direction himself. I have also written to Mr. Godyn about it, considering it necessary that it should be known.

Our coming here was agreeable to all, and I hope, by the grace of the Lord, that my services will not be unfruitful. The people, for the most part, are all free, somewhat rough, and loose, but I find in most all of them both love and respect towards me; two things with which hitherto the Lord has every where graciously blessed my labors, and which will produce us fruit in our special calling, as you, Right Reverend, yourself, well know and find.

We have first established the form of a church (gemeente); and, as Brother Bastiaen Crol very seldom comes down from Fort Orange, because the directorship of that fort and the trade there is committed to him, it has been thought best to choose two Elders for my assistance and for the proper consideration of all such ecclesiastical matters as might occur, intending the coming year, if the Lord permit, to let one of them retire, and to choose another in his place from a double number first lawfully presented by the congregation. One of those whom we have now chosen is the Honorable Director himself, and the other is the store-keeper of the Company, Jan Huyghen, his brother-in-law, persons of very good character, as far as I have been able to learn; having both been formerly in office in the church, the one as Deacon and the other as Elder in the Dutch and French churches, respectively, at Wesel.

We have had at the first administration of the Lord's Supper full fifty communicants-not without great joy and comfort for so many-Walloons and Dutch; of whom, a portion made their first confession of the faith before us, and others exhibited their church certificates. Others had forgotten to bring their certificates with them, not thinking that a church would be formed and established here; and some, who brought them, had lost them unfortunately in a general conflagration, but they were admitted upon the satisfactory testimony of others to whom they were known and also upon their daily good deportment, since we cannot observe strictly all the usual formalities in making a beginning under such circumstances.

We administer the Holy Sacrament of the Lord once in four months, provisionally until a larger number of people shall otherwise require. The Walloons and French have no service on Sundays, otherwise that in the Dutch language, of which they

(*) To Brazil.

understand very little. A portion of the Walloons are going back to Fatherland, either because their years here are expired, or also because some are not very serviceable to the Company. Some of them live far away and could not come on account of the heavy rains and storms, so that it was neither advisable, nor was it possible, to appoint any special service for so small a number with so much uncertainty. Nevertheless, the Lord's Supper was administered to them in the French language and according to the French mode, with a preceding discourse, which I had before me in writing, as I could not trust myself extemporaneously. If in this and in other matters you, Right Reverend, and the Reverend Brothers of the Consistories, who have special superintendence over us here (*), deem it necessary to bestow upon us any correction, instruction or good advice, it will be agreeable to us and we will thank you, Right Reverend, therefor; since we must have no other object than the glory of God in the building up of his kingdom and the salvation of many souls. I keep myself as far as practicable within the pale of my calling, wherein I find myself sufficiently occupied. And although our small consistory, embraces at the most-when Brother Crol is down here,-not more than four persons, all of whom, myself alone excepted, have also public business to attend to, I still hope to separate carefully the ecclesiastical from the civil matters, which occur, so that each one will be occupied with his own subject. And though many things are mixti generis, and political and ecclesiastical persons can greatly assist each other, nevertheless the matters and offices tending together must not be mixed but kept separate, in order to prevent all confusion and disorder. As the Council of this place consists of good people, who are, however, for the most part simple and have little experience in public affairs, I would have little objection to serve them in any serious or dubious affair with good advice, provided I considered myself capable and my advice should be asked; in which case I suppose that I would not do amiss, or be suspected by any one of being a πολυπράγμων Or άλλοτριοεπίσκοπος.(4)

In my opinion, it is very expedient that the Lords Managers of this place should furnish plain and precise instructions to their Governors that they may distinctly know how to regulate themselves in all difficult occurrences and events in public matters; and at the same time that I should have all such Acta Synodalia, as are adopted in the Synods of Holland, both the special ones relating to this region and those which are provincial and national, in relation to ecclesiastical points of difficulty, or at least such of them as in the judgment of the Reverend Brothers at Amsterdam would be most likely to present themselves to us here. In the mean time I hope matters will go well here, if only on both sides we do the best in all sincerity and honest zeal; whereto I have from the first entirely devoted myself, and wherein I have also hitherto, by the grace of God, had no just cause to complain of any one. And if any dubious matters of importance happen to me, and especially

(*) Named at the end of the letter.

(†) A busy-body, or Meddler in other people's affairs.