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Cornell University Library 1993.VI.
E X T E A C T
FROM
Sotajpaafs “ 'Smirking to 2Mastokm,”
RELATING TO THE COLONY OF NEW AMSTEL,
ON THE DELAWARE.
TRANSLATED FROM THE DUTCH,
BY
JOHN EOMEYN BEODHEAD.INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
Jan Wagenaar, from one of whose works the following extract
is taken, was born at Amsterdam, on the 31st of October, 1709. In
early life he entered a merchant’s counting-room, but soon turned his
attention to literature, and at length devoted himself entirely to the
study of the history of his native country. In 1749, he published
the two first volumes of his “ Vaderlandsche Historie.” This work
was extended to twenty-one volumes, the last of which was issued in
1760. It gives an accurate and detailed account of the principal
events of the United Netherlands, and particularly of Holland, from
the earliest times to the year 1751. A continuation was afterwards
published. This History received, as it deserved, high commendation,
both at home and abroad, and has always been esteemed a work of
excellent authority. In 1758, Wagenaar was appointed Historio-
grapher to the city of Amsterdam, and thus obtained free access to
its archives. He wrote an “ Historical Description ” of the city,
which was published in three volumes, folio, and also in thirteen
volumes, octavo, 1760-1768. The contents of both editions—which
are embellished with admirable engravings—are precisely the same.
Wagenaar was also the author of several other works, chiefly histor-
ical. He was distinguished for his piety and charity, and was held in
high esteem by his native city, where he died on the 1st of March,
1773.
The following extract is taken from Wagenaar’s Description of
Amsterdam, volume I., page 594 of the folio edition, and volume V.,
page 224, of the octavo. It relates exclusively to the colony which
that city undertook to establish on the South or Delaware River, in
1656, at Fort Casimir, or, as it was afterwards named, “New Am-
stel,” and which is now known as New Castle. The chief authorities288
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.
for the account in this extract are the original Records in the archives
of the city of Amsterdam. These records were carefully examined
by the Historical Agent of the State, in 1841, and copies were made
of such as relate to Hew Netherland, which now form volumes XV.
and XVI. of the “ Holland Documents,” in the office of the Secretary
of State at Albany.
There has been a good deal of misapprehension among historical
writers about this colony at New Amstel, which was thus named after
the manor of “ Nieuw Amstel,” or Amstelveen, lying a little south
of Amsterdam. Wagenaar himself is not very precise in a part of
his account of it, which indeed he inserts as £ short episode in his
ponderous description of his native city. Some American authors
have even confounded New Amstel, on the South River, with New
Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland. It is hardly necessary,
at this time, to do more than merely allude to this one instance out
of many, in which important facts in our history have been, sadly and
inexcusably perverted.EXTRACT
FROM WAGENAAR'S AMSTERDAM.
In North America, there was discovered, in the year
1609, by Henry Hudson, sailing in the service of the
[Dutch] East India Company, a region in the latitude of
above forty-one degrees, which he called New Holland, and
.which afterwards received the name of Neiv Netherlands
The West India Company, subsequently organized, sent
people and cattle to that region, and continued to carry this
on from time to time. Their servants and planters bought
much land from the Americans, and among others an island
at the mouth of the River Manhattans, which at present is
called Hudson’s River ; upon which island, before long, the
Fort Amsterdam and the city of New Amsterdam were
built.f The Company had committed the management of
this island to the Amsterdam chamber, which, in the begin-
ning of the year 1656, showed itself inclined to make over a
part of its possessions in New Netherland to the city [of
Amsterdam.] It was judged in the common council that
this land, being properly built upon, would produce every
thing that was then brought from the Baltic, even to masts;
and it was thereupon resolved to enter into negotiations with
the Company respecting the purchase of the same, so that it
would not be always necessary to depend on the Baltic sea.J
The land was bought. The burgomasters and councillors
* J. De Laet: Description of the West Indies, p. 83.
f Memorie of 28th February, 1654, in the Verbaal of H. Van Beveriongk,
p. 608.
X Resolution of the Council, Book A, 3d March, 1656, p. *76. [Also, in
Holland Documents, vol. xv. p. 2.]
SECOND SEKIES.—YOL. III.	19290
EXTRACT FROM WAGENAAR’S AMSTERDAM.
arranged, in November, some conditions for the benefit of
such as should be willing to settle themselves there to build
upon and plant the land.* * * § The Duke of Savoy, displeased
with his Reformed subjects in the valleys of Piedmont, known
by the name of Waldenses, had, for some time, according to
their judgment, treated them too harshly, and had obliged
them to abandon their dwellings. For these people there
were collected here, in Holland, more than two hundred thou-
sand guilders, which were promptly sent over to them.f A
large part of this sum was contributed at Amsterdam; of
which—so it appears to me—more than sixty-seven thousand
guilders were paid over on two occasions.^ There also came
hither, before long, upwards of three hundred of these
exiles, who seemed desirous to help to people the new
colony of the city in New Netherlands And afterwards,
from time to time, persons and families were received for the
same purpose.|| Before the end of this year, the city also
took up twenty-five thousand guilders, for the benefit of the
Colony, and to provide it with some necessary wares.^[ In
the spring of the year 1657, there were again collected three
hundred planters ready for the voyage to New Netherland.
It was then resolved to raise yet thirty-six thousand guilders
for the same purpose, and to provide the Colony with a
preacher.** Shortly before there had been also taken up ten
thousand guilders :	somewhat later six thousand more.
Still in the beginning of September the commissaries having
the oversight of the colony again demanded fresh assistance.
Men then began to see that the expense of the colony ex-
ceeded the benefit derived from it. The council declared that
it had not been its intention to maintain it at such heavy
outlays.f f Nevertheless, in the spring of the year 1658, they
* [These “conditions” are appended to the second edition of Yan der
Donck’s description of New Netherland, which was published in 1656.
Translations are in Hazard II. 543; I. N. Y. Hist. Soc. Coll. 1, 291 ; II. 1, 238;
O’Call, II, 328; and abstracts are in S; Hazard’s Ann. Penn. 220; Dunlap’s.
FT.'Y. II. appendix XII. Dunlap errs, however, in dating them in 1623, and
in making them refer to New Amsterdam,'instead of New Amstel, nowNew*
castle, on the Delaware river. Brodhead’s N. Y. I. 630, 632.]
f Aitzema, III. p. 1240.
% G’root Memorie, IY. 96, 106.
§ Holl. Merc, of 1656, p. 129. Domselaar, YI. p. 407 ; Commelin, p. 1157.
| Groot Memorie, Y. 51, *79, 81.
T Resolution of Council, A, 11th Nov., 1656, p. 152. [Hoi. Doc. xv. p. 10.]
** Resolution of Council, A, 3d March,1657, p. 199. [Hoi. Doc. xv. p. 12.
ff Resolution of Council, A, 4th July, 7th September, 1657, p. 225. [Hoi.
Doc. xv. p. 14, 16.]EXTRACT FROM WAGENAAR'S AMSTERDAM. 291
again provided twenty thousand guilders more, and sent,
anew, a ship with some planters thither.* * * § In the autumn,
deliberations were had respecting the means of maintaining
Hew Netherland at less cost; and it was likewise resolved to
levy six thousand guilders more for the colony. Some alter-
ations were made in the “ conditions ” drawn up for the
benefit of the planters, inasmuch as the same were found to
be too prejudicial to the city.f The planters, who sent their
products, in part, at least, wherever they wished, were now,
among other things, obliged to send them to this city [Am-
sterdam] alone. But, in the beginning of the year 1659,
this point was so far modified that such planters as had
repaid to the city the expenses of their conveyance over,
might send their wares wherever they wished, except peltries
and the products which they desired to export to the East,
the North, or the Netherlands; all of which they should
be holden to bring hitherwards.^ Yet the maintenance of
this colony, at first, was1 so detrimental to the city, and
what was brought from there produced so little, that it was
resolved, in the following September, to get rid of it again,
and to re-convey it to the West India Company in the best
way possible; § but that body always showed a disinclination
to such an arrangement. Meanwhile, in the years 1660 and
1661, there were again raised twenty-nine thousand two
hundred and fifty guilders, for the benefit of the colony; ||
and, in the year 1662, one hundred guilders each was allowed
to twenty-five families of Mennonists, who wished to betake.
themselves thither.From this time forward the colony
began to prosper. The navigation and trade there, which
* Resolution of Council, B, 11th April, 1658, p. 16. [Hoi. Doc. xv, p. 19.]
f Resolution of Council, B, 19th October, 20th December, 1658; p. 55, 72.
[Hoi. Doc. xv. p. 21, 23,]
v X Res. of Council, B, 10th March, 1659, p. 91. £HoL Doc. xv. p. 27.]
§ Res. of Council, B, 30th September, 1659, p. 161. [Hoi. Doc. xv. p. 29.]
| Res. of Council, C, 25th August, 16th November, 1660, 6th Jauuary, 9th
May, 1661, p. 50, 82, 99, 132. [Hoi. Doc. xv. p. 33, 34, 35, 37.])
•ff Res. of Council, C, 20, April, 1662, p. 192. [Hoi. Doc. xv. p. 51. These
Mennonists or Anabaptists formed an association, and adopted articles for the
government of their proposed Colony, which were published in 1662, in the
appendix to a quarto pamphlet of 84 pages, compiled from De Laet, De Vries,
and the Vertoogh, entitled u Kort Verhae Van Nieuw Nederlant’s Gelegen-
theit,” &c. A copy of this work is in the Library of the New York Histori-
cal Society, and a translation of it by Mr. Henry C. Murphy, is about to be
issued in the valuable series privately printed by Mr. James Lenox. Brod-
head’sN. Y. I. 699.]292
EXTRACT FROM WAGENAAR’S AMSTERDAM.
contributed partly to the city’s revenue,-increased.* But
the war with Charles II. King of G-reat Britain, which
broke out in the year 1664, made an alt ration in all that
had been done. The rising colony was conquered in the
same year, about the beginning of September, by Robert
Holmes.f The King gained it permanently by the treaty
of the year 1667. New Netherland was from that time
called New York, which name was also given to New Am-
sterdam. In the mean time the council of Amsterdam re-
solved, in the year 1665, to confer the burgher-right of that
city upon the former burghers of the city’s colony in New
Netherland.^	-
* Res. of Council, C, 22diFebruary, 10, 16, March, 1663, p. 233, 240, 244;
D. 10th August, 24, 26, Oct. 1663, p. 26, 48, 49. [Hoi. Doc. xv. p. 52, 54, 58,
61, 63, 65.]
f Letters of De Witt, IV, p. 386, 387 ; Hell. Merc, of 1664, p. 152 ; Va-
derlandsche Historie, xiii. p. 119. [This statement is not quite accurate.
Holmes conducted an expedition against the Dutch possessions on the coast
of Africa; but the forces sent to capture New Netherland were commanded
by Colonel Richard Nieolls. The Colony of the city of Amsterdam on the
South, or Delaware River, was reduced by Sir Robert Carr, under Nieolls’
order. Brodhead’s New York, I. 735, 744.]
^ Resolution of the Council, E, 26 Aug. 1665, p. 18. [Hoi. Doc. XV, p.
75.]