...may you please excuse the length of this; it is done to give you a better explanation of the state of affairs here. Before closing we earnestly request that you please inform us as soon as possible of the transactions with the Indians in the Esopus as well as elsewhere so that it may be of use to us here when the opportunity arises. In closing I commend you (of whose good health I hope to hear with the next letter) to God's merciful protection; remaining, in the meantime, after cordial greetings, Honorable, Wise, Prudent and very Discrete Lord,
To the Honorable Lord Jacob Alrichs, Director of the Colony of New Amstel on the South River of New Netherland and the Council thereof:[1]
Honorable Lords, you can easily perceive by the considerable relief of soldiers, provisions and war material sent your way that the honorable lord director-general and council of New Netherland are very much concerned with the security and well being of. this place. However, the dangerous situation in which the aforesaid director-general, council and the whole country found themselves on account of the Indians, did not permit them to spare any troops but made necessary their return as soon as possible; we pointed this out to you in writing when we first arrived. We also indicated this verbally on the same day in full assembly (after our instructions were read) and several times since then; earnestly and resolutely recommending that you assemble, muster and maintain the troops provided by the City, up to 50 soldiers. However, we are very concerned to discover that all our earnest and resolute recommendations, accompanied by persuasive reasons and arguments, have produced nothing more than words without consequence, i.e., that you would do your absolute best to enlist as many men as possible. But, during our stay here, the City's ministers have hardly lifted a finger to demonstrate their absolute best or any endeavor or zeal. Their reply will most likely be that everyone was notified by beat of drum but no one came. It should have been known beforehand that none of the inhabitants would enlist in this manner because almost everyone, including those few soldiers, who still remain in the City's service, are discontent and dissatisfied with the administration of this colony for reasons best known to you. For the present time we shall not discuss it in detail; an attempt should have been made to encourage and induce the people by offers of just and favorable conditions, and promises of a reasonable salary as is customary in our fatherland and elsewhere in such urgent situations. We still strongly recommend this to you. But what excuse can be made as to why the soldiers were not summoned up from the Hoerekil pursuant to the promise made to us on the last day of September? It is, to be sure, most absurd and irregular that the director-general and council should deprive their own places, which are much more important, of needed soldiers and send them here for relief, and that you do not summon your own soldiers or [ ], but employ 16 or 18 men for the garrisoning of just one or two houses (probably built more for private use than for the good of the country). The aforesaid director-general and council have thus done their duty sufficiently, as previously related. The situation with the Indians in the Esopus has turned out contrary to expectations (as you can perceive in more detail the letter received yesterday from the honorable director-general and council, which communicated to you that by all appearances we shall have a general war with the Indians); therefore, the country's distress and situation urgently demand the immediate return of the troops sent here. This, according to orders and instructions from the honorable director-general, is to be put into effect as quickly as possible. You are hereby given notice thereof in order that you may take care of your own defense while we are still here. You are surely well aware the honorable lords-mayors and magistrates of the City of Amsterdam sent 50 soldiers here for the protection of this colony and Port New Amstel. It was your duty to maintain them at full strength. If this had been done previously from those who fled because of poverty and debts, which in the process strengthened our neighbors (now apparently our enemies) and weakened you and this province, these misfortunes and excessive costs would have befallen neither you nor the Company. We must hereby earnestly recommend and direct once again (as we have done repeatedly) that you muster and make ready the troops provided. If you do not do it at once or attempt to do it, then we shall be required in our capacity to protest against you, as we hereby do, that you are the cause of the damages and losses which shall accrue to this colony and its people, and consequently to the whole province of New Netherland because of not mustering or making ready the aforesaid troops. This shall be reported in due time so that our lords superiors may resolve the matter.
Furthermore, this serves to notify you that we had intended to employ some of the colonists as soldiers to supplement the City's troops (of whom, we are well aware, are not inclined to enter the City's service; on the contrary many have offered themselves to the Company's service) but we have met with various obstacles. To begin with, they say unanimously that as long as Captain Marten Crieger remains here they would help him defend this place to the last man, but if he leaves, then they must also be allowed to depart because they are not willing to serve under the City's ministers. We thought that we had removed this obstacle by allowing the colonists to depart with Captain Marten to Manhattan, leaving in their place just as many soldiers for you so that in this way you would acquire soldiers and in turn we would return with the same number brought out (as expressly stated in our commission); but here again new difficulties are arising. First, when it was made public on one occasion or another that apparently some of the soldiers brought here would remain, and when it reached their ears, according to the declaration of the sergeant, they emphatically said that they would not remain here under the command of the City's ministers (this place has such a bad name that the whole river would barely cleanse it, and may God only grant that it remains here and is not cried out loud in the fatherland to the detriment of the whole province). In addition, they say that if they were ordered to stay here against their will, they would be turned into villains and deserters because they would not remain here except under the command of the Company's officers. Concerning the freemen: Whereas we have now learned ourselves that you force them to stay here (notwithstanding they declare their distress at not being able to make a living here and their willingness to swear under oath not to leave this province before their debts are repaid to you, and which is much too slavish and odious for free people, and in our judgment cannot agree with the intention of the honorable, most esteemed lords magistrates of the City of Amsterdam); therefore, we are circumspect and even fearful to attempt to employ them so as not to give you any reason to complain that we or the honorable director-general and council of New Netherland had practiced or carried out anything detrimental or debilitating to this colony, because we desire its prosperity and steady progress with our whole heart as we do for our own. You will probably reply to this point that it is absolutely untrue because you have now consented to allow each and everyone to depart for Manhattan provided they first repay their debts to the City. Some members of the poor community are quite aware of this, but then they answer, "when we had enough to be able to pay our passage, we offered it to Mr. Alrichs and begged with folded hands that it be accepted for our debts; but he would not allow it, saying that we were bound to stay here four years, ?nd now that we have consumed all our wretched possessions in times of great hunger, trouble, misery and desolation, and have nothing to pay with, he says, 'pay first, then leave.'"
Honorable Lords, the complaints voiced over this are innumerable. If you should be pleased to make use of our advice, it would (subject to correction) somewhat mitigate the bad reputation and relieve you of much blame to allow those who cannot make a living here to depart for Manhattan, provided that they give security, if possible, for their debts to the City; if not, to promise by solemn oath not to leave this province without your knowledge unless their accounts have been settled beforehand. Otherwise, what advantage does this place have to hope for from such people if they are forced to remain here? They cannot, indeed they must not be allowed to perish from hunger, misery, cold and disease (although there are strong rumors that several persons have died of hunger); such does not conform to the duties of a Christian Therefore, they would certainly have to be provided with the necessities of life and clothing against a cold winter, whereby their debts grow daily greater and greater, which will in the end cause a much greater loss to the City. With regard to this subject it must also be considered that there is still some hope and the possibility that the City will sooner or later see a return on the security from those who depart for Manhattan; on the contrary, there is no hope to realize a penny from those who run away from discontent or impatience. It would have been wished for, if there were room for wishes here, that you had allowed all those who have run away from here to Virginia or Maryland to go to Manhattan. If this had been done, the magistrates of the City of Amsterdam would not have been completely deprived of their advance money, and the aforesaid persons, who will shortly be slaves of the English, would keep their freedom. Moreover, we would not have been, in all probability, inflicted with these excessive expenses and troubles, since it is our strong opinion, and this is presumed with great probability, that the runaways from this place have incited the governor of Maryland to his well-known outrageous actions and have given him great encouragement. We have been unintentionally long in our discussion of this matter only to demonstrate to you and all who may see this that it is our judgment that no profit but only loss and detriment can come to this colony by forcing the people to stay against their will.
On the subject of employing colonists, we shall only say, subject to agreement between you and us, that we will employ 10 or 20 colonists (because they are not inclined to enter the City's service), and shall allow them to go to Manhattan with our men. In their place we shall leave as many soldiers and station them temporarily at Fort Altena under the command of Vice-Director Willem Beeckman (in order to preclude their objection to being commanded by City's ministers). In addition, we shall leave a garrison of 20 men for the protection and defense of the aforesaid fort, with express orders and instructions that he employ as many soldiers as we take colonists from here for the service of the colony and New Amstel; and he will command them here upon your orders. We shall await your categorical reply on this proposal since our time here is short.
In the letter received yesterday from the director-general, it is stated that it will be necessary, if a general war were to break our with the Indians (which he says is likely) that reports of it be sent to the fatherland before winter. Presently there is no other suitable means to accomplish this than with the galliot. Pursuant to the aforesaid honorable general's written request, we ask you whether you would allow it to be employed for this purpose, on the condition that in its place another suitable vessel would be lent to you during this voyage; whereupon we await your reply.
We had intended to close this letter herewith but find ourselves compelled by virtue of our office and duty to add the following for the maintenance of the power and authority of the honorable Chartered West India Company. You are doubtlessly well aware that last Saturday, being the 4th, Secretary van Ruyven informed you of the unexpected reply given to Captain Marten Crieger by your sergeant. Nevertheless, in order to refresh your memory of the matter, which, though trifling, is still of great and harmful consequences, we deem it necessary to repeat it here. It so happened that the aforesaid Captain (since it is customary for us to clear and clean Fort Amsterdam on Saturday) ordered some of our soldiers to clear and clean half of Fort New Amstel, which was begun at once; so that they would have something to do, the aforesaid Captain ordered your Sergeant Bernard Stordeur to clean the other half of the fort with his men. "Mr. Alrichs and Lieutenant d'Hinojossa have forbidden me to obey any orders except from them,? was his reply, which rang in our ears like the sound of a strange horn. We took the matter up at once with Mr. Alrichs in the presence of the honorable Hinojossa; stating that this surprised us very much, more so since you were sufficiently acquainted from our credentials and instructions with what authority we were charged (though not esteemed). Consequently, we wanted to know whether this was done with your knowledge. Upon hearing your reply, we realized that it was all too true because you and the aforesaid D'Hinojossa tried to maintain that the City's servants were not obligated by their oath to obey any commands other than from the City's officers; Mr. Hinojossa added that no one could command them or the City's soldiers, otherwise he would first have to resign his commission, with many more arguments of this sort too long to relate here. Although we realized well that- an official protest should be lodged against such affronts and disobedience of orders, we, nevertheless, considered that it might produce more discontent which is always well to avoid as much as possible, but especially so in this dangerous situation. We overlooked it for the time being, but after investigating the matter more closely, we find it to be derived from the accepted oath in which the honorable lords-directors of the Chartered West India Company and their superiors are excluded and precluded. We hereby seriously and earnestly recommend to you to alter and administer the accepted oath (pursuant to the orders and communications issued by the honorable director and council of New Netherland on the subject of this oath) so that it pertains not only to the High and Mighty Lords the States-General of the United Netherlands, the honorable most esteemed Lords-Mayors and Magistrates...
[ Remainder of letter is lost. ]
[ Enclosed: ] Proposals of the commissioners. Corn:van Ruyven and Marten Crieger to Mr. Jacob Alrichs, recommending earnestly and firmly that he muster and maintain the troops provided by the City; in addition, to look to the Company for his defense etc., since the distress of the country requires the speedy return of the troops sent there.
C:V: Ruyven
Marten Crieger
