Worshipful, valiant and honorable Heer general, and right honorable sirs of the council: * * * The time having come again, that three of the existing commissaries, S. Leendertse [Glen], Frans Barentse Pastoor, and Volckert Janse [Douwe], according to custom, ought to be dismissed from their office, so, likewise, in accordance with the same custom, we desire to nominate and propose to your honors, a double number, viz: Abram Staets, Jacob Janse Schermerhoorn, Goosen Gerritse [Van Schaick], Philip Prse. Schuyler, Cornelis Teunise Bos, and Evert Wendel, to the end that your honors will choose from the same, two others as ordinary, and one as extraordinary commissaries, as may be esteemed fittest according to your usual wise discretion and judgment. We are much surprised, that no answer to our last letter, at least none on the subject of our expected collection there, has been received by us, indicating good success for it; in respect to the contracting for the Blockhouse church, and the excessive expenses for the same, * our expectation and hope in the commencement having been very greatly set thereon, in case of a failure of the same, we should be very much confounded and distressed; even if everything should turn out for the best, it would be very difficult to collect the remainder from the church here. Will your honors please to recollect the next article of our instructions; and if ever orders ought to be carried into effect, these certainly, on this occasion, would bring forth good results, and be accomplished in the right time. Your honors cannot be ignorant of the fact, that the consumption of wine and beer here ought immediately to be farmed out, without any communication respecting the same having hitherto been received; in consequence of this we are uncertain how to regulate ourselves. It is true that the clerk, Johan de Deckere, by a special mandate, given to him by the Heer general, has reported to us that the payment of the excise should not be suspended, but continued according to the order of the collector thereon; likewise that no new farming out of the excise was to be made before the arrival of the Heer general or committee, with a recommendation, besides, to the collector, to keep a record of the wine and beer, consumed both in the colony, and in our jurisdiction; to which, your honors, we would object, that it is uncertain whether the collector will accept of, or acquiesce in, the aforesaid continuation; and, if he would, it must be done on the foregoing conditions and extension, which has not been done by him hitherto, and would require no little knowledge and exertion to carry out. Moreover, about three hundred guilders, not to be retained, have been paid by him on the promised excise money to relieve him from the promised conditions (?). * At present, and before the close of the term [of the excise], it is impossible for any more money to be paid (so he says), arising from a registering of the beer, etc., consumed by the three public tapsters, Soogemackelyek, Marg. Goosens [Van Schaick], and Arien Jans Van Leyden, but is more reduced than the remainder of the excise money would amount to, wherefore, according to what he says, no money should come into his hands, so that the aforesaid continuation in the future, would cause and bring forth nothing, but a mere pretense. If, on the contrary, the collector shall decline or refuse the aforesaid registry, and further, if the honorable clerk, De Deckere, be impracticable, then your honors' orders, highly necessary in respect to that, or what is much better, your worship's immediate arrival in person, will be waited for and * expected. Herewith, etc., your honors' obedient and faithful servants of the court of Fort Orange and Beverwyck. Sent the 8th of April, 1656. Noble, worshipful, valiant, wise, and right honorable sirs. Gentlemen : In accordance with your honors' order to apprehend and positively to send away the public tapsters, Pr Ariensen, alias Soogemackelyck, and Arien Janse Van Leyden, the business was so directed by me, that the aforesaid Pr Ariensen had notice to come to my house, and, of course, was detained; I guarded him with some soldiers till evening, when Jan Baptist Van Rensselaer, with the schout of the colony, appeared before me, requesting that the prisoner might be set free, on representation that he, Rensselaer, was ready to interpose and answer for him; which by me, being declined, I was asked if he (the intervenient) was not considered sufficient; my answer was that his sufficiency or insufficiency was not disputed, but that my order was simply to send the prisoner away, and that if he wished to answer for him, he could do so; finally he requested ilico et stante pede a copy of my order and commission, but this was denied him; whereupon threatening (?) me with divers mischiefs, etc., he delivered a protest and therewith departed. This day being Wednesday, I sent the sloop (jacht) to the other side of the river, and, with Rutger Jacobsen, having examined the boards, I was with the sloop's boat, for some tools for the vessel and for my own service, having likewise two soldiers to keep up a constant watch; rowed to the fort again to catch in the trap the rat who had as yet not been taken; in the meantime, let the men on sloop busy themselves loading the boards; the plan, hitherto so successful, was, by the disobedience and carelessness of those boobies, the boatmen and soldiers, to my extreme distress and vexation, shamefully spoiled. Firstly. By the boatmen, who came to me in the evening insisting on the boat, saying that it was necessary for getting in the rest of the boards in a proper manner at night, so I, crediting them, yielded, with the express and reiterated order nevertheless, that the boat, before the next morning, at least by day break, should be brought to the fort, my intention being to carry the prisoner then, immediately, to the sloop; in the meantime, that he might be well watched and securely kept, I made him sleep in my bed and by my side; but inquiring in the morning, I could hear of neither boat nor boatmen, without which I could not get to the sloop unless some other vessel was at hand. Owing to the carelessness of the three soldiers and my nigger, to whom the keeping and watch were intrusted, he was suffered in their presence to run away. I was made aware of his escape, and speedily was at the heels of the fugitive, and it would not have been in vain, except that he retired and took refuge in the house of the aforesaid Rensselaer: nevertheless, I addressed him there, and admonished him to go back with me, otherwise it would go hard with him; yet he refused, but said if I took the other tapsters, then he would willingly go with me; on the other hand, came Johannes Van Twiller, also (Rensselaer not being at home, but with some of his com panions last night at the house of Arian Janse [Van Leyden] had watched with their guns and awaited my coming there), and asked what I wanted there; my answer was, that I wished to bring the prisoner away from there; he replied, that that should by no means be; being alone and having no help nor soldiers there present, and not seeing how I could conveniently Hist. Col. iv. 31 succeed, I returned again to my house. I judge it to be in the highest degree absurd, that there should be an asylum in the midst of our jurisdiction for fugitives, and a free place for other abuses and usurpations, as have now lately existed in regard to De Hulter's widow, who, whilst dwelling in our fort, would hold a public sale of some wood without con sulting me therein, and regardless of my rights with respect to the payment of the auction fees, whereupon a registry and interdict being made to her, to hold no public sale in our jurisdiction without consulting me, or having paid my just dues, yet said widow, notwithstanding, held the aforesaid sale, without consulting me, in the church, or at the house of the aforesaid Rensselaer, which and other impertinences and violences will the more exist in the future, not so much through the impulse of the people themselves, as indeed through the inducements and persuasions of certain bullies and boasters who have the management of the colony [of Rensselaerswyck], unless a fitting and timely order be made therefor by your honors, according to your wise discretion. I should have repaired to the house of Arien Janse Van Leyden to-day, with proper assistance, except that the aforesaid Rensselaer (such hypocrisy is indeed suspicious) came to my house yesterday evening, saying that if I would keep quiet, he would be answerable for the aforesaid persons, and, with the first sloop to Manhatans, would go thither; considering that there was not much danger in this, and moreover that some of them had escaped, I acquiesced in the proposal, leaving the disputes with the other people to your honor. The bellweathers being there, your honor understands that the public tapsters and others, who have not been as yet taken, must appear there also. Be pleased to send up more soldiers, and among them one or two who are not nice about taking hold of a man, that the people may be intimidated by numbers, and all bloodshed and mischief may be prevented. I have spoken to Dyckman's wife, and requested to have her husband sent to Manhatans, to go to Holland on the war ship, which she could hardly make up her mind to, inclining to speak about the matter herself with your honor, perceiving which, I advised her that the sooner she does it the better, and to take her husband with her, where she will learn the time thereof [departure]. In the meantime having commended your honor to the protection and defense of the Almighty, with my respects, I conclude, as your honor's humble servant. Sent the 26 of May, 1656. In accordance with the command and order, of date 13th of May last, to me, the subscriber, given and granted, by the director general, Petrus Stuyvesant, to apprehend, and securely to send away, the persons of Pieter Adriaensen, alias Soogemackelyck, and Arien Janse Van Leyden, both tapsters, I, Johan De Deckere, clerk at Fort Orange, on the 24th following, brought the person of said Soogemackelyck to my house and detained him there; through the carelessness of certain soldiers, to whose keeping he was intrusted, he escaped the following day and fled in the meantime, watching for an opportunity to apprehend in like manner the aforesaid Arien Janse, this evening Mr. Jan Baptist Van Rensselaer came to my house and put the question, whether I would keep quiet and not send away said tapsters, if so, he promised, in such case, personally to repair to Manhatans, by the first sloop, declaring that the aforesaid persons were guiltless, as it was through his persuasion, and moreover that he would be answerable for them, which was acquiesced in by me for the following reasons: First.-Because the aforesaid Soogemackelyck, having fled, would perhaps remain away for some time. Second. From fear of shedding blood; because, as was reported, the aforesaid Rensselaer, with some of his colleagues, passing the night watching at the house of said Arien Janse, waited and watched for my coming there, from which it is easy to see what might follow. And Lastly. In consequence of the aforesaid free proposal, considering that the commotion, whilst they were in durance, the outworkings also of their desires, would indeed be put to rest and subjection. Notwithstanding this, on the 29th of this month, having received a certain letter from the said director general, of the date 23d of May, past, containing a renewal of my aforesaid order to send away also besides the aforesaid two persons, Marg. Goossens [Van Schaick]; so I, Johan De Deckere aforesaid, in conformity to the aforesaid reiterated order and commission, followed by three soldiers and the afternamed witnesses, found myself before the house of Marg. Goossens, but the door not being opened, from thence, I repaired to the houses of Pieter Ariensen and Arien Janse Van Leyden, and there finding the aforesaid Rensselaer with his colleagues, together with the schout and secretary of the colony [of Rensselaerswyck], and in the presence of them all, in the name and behalf of the director general and council of New Netherland, I warned, admonished and commanded the aforesaid tapsters, immediately, to go with me, and commit themselves into my hands and keeping; whereupon they separately answered as before, "There sits my lord," pointing to the aforesaid Rensselaer, "who will answer for me; and said Rensselaer, in like manner acquiesced in the same, not suffering the tapsters to go with me. Whereupon, I, the clerk aforesaid, as well against the aforesaid Rensselaer and colleagues, as against said tapsters, respectively, in the name, etc., as before, protested in respect to all costs, damage and interests, which the honorable [W. I.] company, through their opposition, disobedience and non-compliance with the excise, have suffered, and may hereafter suffer, to be reclaimed and recovered, as shall be found reasonable. Done and protested on the 31st day of May, 1656, in presence of Rutger Jacobsen, Andries Herpertsen, and Jacob Schermerhooren, as witnesses hereto invited. J. DE DECKERE, 1656. According to the order and mandates of the director general and council of New Netherland, of date 28th of June, 1656, to Mr. Rensselaer and those of the court of the colony [of Rensselaerswyck], to request that the placard, respecting the tenths, may be published in the colony, I, Johan De Deckere, chief clerk at Fort Orange, repaired with the afternamed witnesses, to the session and meeting of the court aforesaid, and said order introduced in the name, etc., as before, and requested, that they would please cause said placard to be published among them, as was done by us; whereupon Mr. Rensselaer answered: "We are not obligated, we and mine cannot grant it." Thus done, introduced and answer received on the 6th of July, 1656, in presence of Rutger Jacobsen, and Dirk Janse Croon, as witnesses to this invited. J. DE DECKERE, 1656. [End of Johan De Deckere's record of official acts.] |