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of ye said Robbert Pennoyer & from thence to runne direct East as farre as a valley begginning att ye head of a flye or Marshe sometimes belonging to y land of Hughe Garrettson & being bounded one the said side with the Maine Ocean, for them the sd pattentees, theyr associates heyres, executors, adminis", successours, assigns, actuallie reallie & perpetuallie to injoye & pocesse as theyr owne free land of inheritance and it to improve & manure according to their owne discretions, with libertie likewise for them the sd pattentees, theyr associates, heyres, and successours and assignes to put what cattle they shall think fitting to feed or graze upon the afores Conyne Island, forther giving granting & by vertue of these presents Wee doe give & graunt unto the sd Patentees theeir associates heyrs & successours full power & authoritie ! uppon the said land to build a towne or townes with such necessarie fortifications as to them shall seem expedient & to haue and injoye the free libertie of conscience according to the costome and manner of Holland, without molestation or disturbance from any Madgistrate or Madgistrates or any other Ecclesiasticall Minister that may p'tend iurisdiction over them, with libertie likewise for them, the sd pattentees, theyr associates heyres &c to erect a bodye pollitique and ciuill combination amongst themselves, as free men of this Province & of the Towne of Grauesend & to make such civill ordinances as the Maior part of ye Inhabitants ffree of the Towne 'shall thinke fitting for theyr quiett & peaceable subsisting & to Nominate elect & choose three of ye Ablest approued honest men & them to present annuallie to ye Gouernor Generall of this Prouince for the tyme being, for him ye said Gouern to establish and confirme to wch gd three men soe chosen & confirmed, wee doe hereby give & graunt full power & authoritie, absolutelie & definitiuely to determine (wthout appeal to any superior Court) for debt or trespasse not exceeding fiftie Holland Guilders for all such acts as shall happen wthin ye iurisdict" of the above said limitt with power likewise for any one of the said three to examine uppon oath all witnesses in cases depending before them & in case any shall refuse to stand to the award of what the Maior part of the sd three shall agree unto, in such cases wee doe hereby give and graunt full power and authoritie to any two of ye sd three,

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to attache & ceise uppon ye lands goods, cattles & chattles of ye parties condemned by their said sentence & fourteen days after the sd ceizure (if ye partie soe condemned agree not in the interim & submitte himself unto ye sentence of the sd three men) the said three or three appointed men as affors to take or ioyen to themselves two more of theyre neighbours discreete honest men, and wth the advice of them to apprise the lands, goods cattles & chattles wthin the above sd jurisdictn & belongs to the partie condemned as aforesd to ye full valleu & then to sell them to any that will paye, that sattisfaction & paiement may be made according to the sentence of ye appointed men; Likewise giuing & graunting & by virtue hereof wee doe give & graunt unto ye said Pattentees, theyre associates heyres, successours &c full power & authoritie to Elect & nominate a certaine officer amongst themselves to execute the place of a Scoute & him likewise to present annuallie to the Gouernor Generall of this Province to bee established and confirmed to wch sd officer soe chosene confirmed, Wee doe hereby give & graunt as large & ample power as is usuallie given to ye Scoutes of any Village in Holland for the suppression or prevention of any disorders that maye theyr arise, or to arrest and app'hend the body of any Criminall, Malefactouer or of anye that shall by worde or act disturbe the publick tranquilletie of this Province or civill peace of the inhabitants wthin the above sd jurisdict" & him, them & her so arrested or apprehended to bring or case to be brought before the Gouernor Gen" of this Province & theyre by way of Processe declare against the P'tie soe offending; farther Wee doe give & graunt unto the P'tentees theyr associates heyres &c free libertie of hawking, hunting, fishing, fowling within the above sd limitts; & to use or exercise all manner of trade & commerce according as the Inhabitants of this Province may or can by Virtue of any Priviledge or graunt made unto them, indueing all and singular ye sd pattees theyr associates, heyres &c with all & singular the immunities & priueledges allready graunted to ye Inhabitants of this Provee or hereafter to be graunted, as if they were natives of the United Belgick Provinces, allways prouided the sd pattent y' associates heyres &c shall faithfully acknowledge & reverently respect the above named High Mightie Lords &c. for theyr Supe

riour Lords & patrons & in all loialtie & fidellitie demeane themselves towards them & theyr successours accord'g as the Inhabitants of this prouince in dutye are bound, soe long as they shall [be] within this iurisdict" & att the experat" of ten yeares to beginne from the daye of the date hereof to paye or cause to bee paid to an officer thereunto deputed by the Gouern' Gen1 of this Provce for the time being, the tenth parte of the reueneew that shall arise by the ground manured by the plough or howe, in case it bee demanded to bee paid to the sd officer in the ffield before it bee housed, gardens or orchards not exceeding one Hollands acre being excepted, and in case anye of the sd pattentees theyr associats heyres &c shall only improue theyr stocks in grasing or breeding of cattle, then the partie soe doing shall att the end of the ten yeares afforesaid paye or cause to be paid to an officer deputed as afores such reasonable sattisfact" in butter and cheese as other Inhabbats of other townes shall doe in the like cases: Likewise injoyning the said pattententees theyre associates heyres &c in the dating of all public instruments to use the New Style wth the wts & measure of this place. Given under my hand & Seale of this Prouince this 19th of December in the fort Amsterdam in New Netherland. 1615. WILHEM KIEFT. Endorsed,-Ter ordonnantie van de Hr Direct Generael & Raden van Nieuw Nederlandt.

Signed

CORNELIS VAN TIENHOUEN, Secrety.

In the name of the LORD—Amen.

DESCRIPTION of the Founding or Beginning of New Utrecht,
for the information of us and our successors. Together with
their Grants and Privileges likewise the names of their
officers and magistrates thereunto added and that
from the year Sixteen hundred seven and fifty,

also the names of the first Patentees and
farmers, for the encouragement and
information of their posterity.

AD. 1657

1658

1659

1660

The beginning and progress of New Utrecht.

This land was originally granted to the Heer Cornelis Van Werckhoven, who was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands, and who here personally undertook to plant a colonie. After some

years he returned to his Fatherland, where he died. On his return to the Netherlands he left in his place as his agent one Jaques Cortelliau. After the death of his late Lord, Cortelliau having no means in his hands to procure settlers to plant and found the colonie, was advised not to allow the beautiful land to lie unfruitful and without inhabitants, and as he was assured that such a course was in direct opposition to the orders and placards of the Noble anh Right Honorable Lor 's Directors of the West India Company at Amsterdam, ur Patrons, as also of the Noble Lord Director General Petrus Stuyvesant and the Counsellors Nicasius DeSille, and Johan Montagne Senor., he concluded to present to the Director General and Counsellors the following Petition :

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To the Noble and Right Honorable Lord Director General and Council of New Netherland:

Whereas no lands here can be laid out and settled except with your Honors' approbation and consent, therefore the petitioner addresses himself to your Honors for consent to found a Town on Long-Island on the Bay of the North River.

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Agent for the heirs of the deceased Cornelis Van Werckhoven.

In the margin stood, "let the petition be granted provided that they deliver by the first opportunity, a map thereof, to the Director General and Council. Dated fortress Amterdam in New Netherland, this 16th January A. D. 1657.

Underneath which was written, By Order of the Right Honorable Director General and Council of New Netherland.

Subscribed by

C. V RUYVEN, Secretary.

Liberty being thus given to commence the settlement, Jaques Cortelliau laid out and surveyed the place, and divided it into 20 lots containing 25 morgen (50 acres) each, which lots were granted to the following patentees who were desirous of making a settlement;

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The above named individuals having received their lots, came together so as speedily to advance the place by sowing, planting and building on their lots. Whereof the first was Jacob Hellekeers Swart, he having a small square house made of clapboards standing in Gravesend which he tore down and removed to the town. On this because they could not begin altogether and alike and for the purpose of setting a good example to the common people and for their encouragement, the Lord Councillor and Fiscal (Attorney General) Nicasius De Sille, Peter Buys and Rutgert Joosten on the 8th of November 1657 sent for the above named Jacob Swart, who was a master builder, for the purpose of having each a house built, and warranted completed in May 1658. This could not be accomplished, because the house of the Heer de Sille was designed to be 36 feet in length, but afterwards on the 31 of May 1658, he directed 6 feet to be added, making

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