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than the first discoverers and finders thereof shall have completed the aforesaid six voyages:

"We, therefore, having duly weighed the aforesaid matter, and finding, as herebefore stated, the aforesaid undertaking to be laudable, honorable, and serviceable to the prosperity of the United Provinces, and wishing that the trial should be free and common for all and every of the Inhabitants of this country, have, and do hereby, invite all and every of the Inhabitants of the United Netherlands to the aforesaid search, and, therefore, have granted and consented, grant and consent hereby that those who any new Courses, Havens, Countries, or Places, shall from now henceforward discover, they alone shall resort to the same or cause them to be frequented, for four voyages, without any other person having the power to sail, resort to, or frequent, directly or indirectly, from the United Provinces, the said newly found and discovered Courses, Havens, Countries, or Places, before the first finder and discoverer thereof shall himself have made, or cause to be made, four voyages, on pain of confiscation of the ships and goods with which he shall contrary hereto make the attempt, and a fine of Fifty Thousand Netherlands Ducats, to the profit of the aforesaid finder or discoverer. Well understanding that the finder, on completion of the first voyage, shall be holden, within fourteen days after his return from said voyage, to deliver to Us a pertinent report of the aforesaid discovery, that, his adventures thereupon being heard, it may be adjudged and declared by Us, according to circumstances and distance, within what time the aforesaid four voyages shall be fully completed.

"Provided that We, hereby, do not understand to prejudice or in any way diminish our former Grants and Concessions; And if within the same time, or in one year, one or more Companies find and discover such new Courses, Passages, Countries, Havens, or Places, the same shall enjoy together there Our Grant and Privileges; and in case any differences

or questions should arise concerning these, or happen otherwise to spring, or proceed from these Our Concessions, such shall be decided by Us, according to which each shall be bound to regulate himself. And in order that these Our Concessions shall be known equally by all, have We ordered that these be published and affixed at the accustomed places in the United Countries.

"Thus Given at the Assembly of the High and Mighty Lords States General, at Gravenhague, this 27th day of March, in the year 1614." [Holland Document.]

After this was promulgated, the merchants of Amsterdam fitted out five ships for the Netherland trade, which soon reached Manhattan, where a settlement was begun in 1614. On their return to Holland, they made a brilliant report of their discoveries, whereupon the interested parties repaired to the Hague and obtained of the States General the following special grant:

IV.

SPECIAL GRANT OF PRIVILEGES BY THE STATES

GENERAL.

"The States General of the United Netherlands to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting. WHEREAS Gerrit Jacob Witsen, former burgomaster of the city of Amsterdam, Jonas Witsen and Simon Morissen, owners of the ship calied the Little Fox, (het vosje,) Captain Jan de Witt, master; Hans Hongers, Paul Pelgrom, and Lambrecht van Tweenhuysen, owners of the two ships called the Tiger and the Fortune, Captains Adriaen Block and Hendrick Corstiaensen, masters; Arnoudt van Lybergen, Wessel Schenck, Hans Claesson, and Barent Sweetsen, owners of the ship the Nightingale, (Nochtegael,) Capt. Thuys Volckertsen, merchant in the city of Amsterdam, master; and Pieter Clementsen Brouwer, Jan Clementsen Kies, and Cornelis Volkertsen, merchants in the city of Hoorn, owners of the ship the Fortune, Capt. Cornelis Jacobsen Mey, master, have united into

one company, and have shown to Us, by their petition, that after great expenses and damages, by loss of ships and other perils, during the present year, they, with the abovenamed five ships, have discovered certain new lands, situated in America, between New-France and Virginia, being the seacoasts between 40 and 45 degrees of latitude, and now called NEW NETHERLAND:

"And whereas, they further represent that We did, in the month of March, publish, for the promotion and augmentation of commerce, a certain consent and grant, setting forth that whosoever should discover new havens, lands, places, or passages, should be permitted exclusively to visit and navigate the same for four voyages, without permitting any other person out of the United Netherlands to visit or frequent such newly discovered places, until the said discoverers shall have performed the four voyages, within the space of time prescribed to them for that purpose, under the penalties therein expressed, &c., and request that we should be pleased to accord to them due testimony of the aforesaid grant in the usually prescribed form:

"WHEREFORE, the premises having been considered, and We, in our Assembly, having communication of the pertinent report of the petitioners relative to the discoveries and finding of the said new countries between the above named limits and degrees, and also of their adventures, have consented and granted, and by these presents do consent and grant, to the said petitioners, now united into one company, that they shall be permitted exclusively to visit and navigate the above described lands, situate in America, between New-France and Virginia, the seacoasts of which lie between the 40th and 45th degrees of latitude, and which are now named NEW NETHERLAND, as is to be seen on the figurative maps by them prepared; and to navigate, or cause to be navigated, the same for four voyages, within the period of three years, to commence from the first day of January, 1615, or sooner,

without it being permitted, directly or indirectly, to any one else to sail, to frequent, or navigate, out of the United Netherlands, those newly discovered lands, havens, or places, within the space of three years, as above, on penalty of the confiscation of the vessel and cargo, besides a fine of fifty thousand Netherlands ducats, for the benefit of said discoverers. Provided, however, that by these presents We do not intend to prejudice or diminish any of our former grants and concessions; and it is also our intention that if any disputes or differences should arise from these our concessions, that they shall be decided by ourselves.

"WE, therefore, expressly command all governors, justices, officers, magistrates, and inhabitants, of the aforesaid United Netherlands, that they allow said company peacefully and quietly to enjoy the whole benefit of this our grant, and to interpose no difficulties or obstacles to the welfare of the same. Given at the Hague, under our seal, paraph, and the signature of our Secretary, on the 11th day of October, 1614." [Hol. Doc. 1. 39. Alb. Rec. xxiv. 167.]

Having thus secured the trade of this region, they proceeded to erect a trading house at De Riviere van den Vorst, at Albany, and also on the southern extremity of Manhattan Island. By means of these three several posts, the trade of both the Iroquois and Algonquin-Lenapes was ensured.

On the first of January, 1618, the grant to the New-Netherland Company expired by its own limitation. In the following spring the breaking up of the ice caused so much injury to the fort on Castle Island that the Company were obliged to abandon it and retire to the Norman's Kill, where their agents concluded a treaty of alliance and peace with the Iroquois. By this the Dutch secured to themselves the

* The Dutch who settled New-Netherland, now New-York, in 1609, entered into an alliance with the Five Nations, which continued without any breach on either side, till the English gained this country. The Norman's Kill derives its present name from Andries Bratt, who was surnamed "De Noorman," or Northman, having been a native, it is said, of Denmark. Colden's Hist. of the Five Nations, 33.

Indian trade, and the Iroquois the means of maintaining ascendancy over all other tribes of savages in North America.

In June, 1621, the Dutch West India Company was chartered and placed under the management of Lords Directors; who, two years after, sent hither a command to take possession of the settlement at New-Netherland. Its government was confided to a council consisting of PIETER BYLVELT, JACOB ELBERTSEN WISSINK, JAN JANsen BrouWER, SYMEN DERCKSEN POS and REYNERT HARMENSSEN, who were invested with supreme executive and legislative authority over the colony. Although claiming the preemption of the soil, the rights of the Indians to the possession thereof remained unextinguished. The Dutch, therefore, occupied Manhattan Island only by sufferance. But as a permanent settlement was contemplated, it became necessary to take some order upon the subject. At length a purchase of the Island, estimated to contain twenty-two thousand acres, was effected, at the price of sixty guilders, or twentyfour dollars.

This event occurred in 1626; and concurrently therewith Staten Island, and some other places in that vicinity, were purchased by the Dutch General and Council, who thereupon erected a block house and palisade at the southern extremity of Manhattan Island, which received the appellation of Fort Amsterdam, and became the seat of government and capital of New-Netherland. The next document affecting the title to lands in New-York, is the grant of the West India Company.

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