" The Company shall, accordingly, appoint and keep there a Governor, competent Councillors, OflScers and other Ministers of Justice for the pn - tection of the good and the punishment of the wicked ; which Governor and Councillors, who are now, or may be hereafter, appointed by the Company, shall take cognizance, in the first instance, of matters appertaining to the freedom, supremacy, domain, finances and rights of the General West India Company; of complaints which any one (whether stranger, neighbor or inhabitant of the aforesaid country) may make in case of privilege, innovation, dissuetude, customs, usages, laws or pedigrees ; declare the same corrupt or abolish them as bad, if circumstances so demand ; of the cases of minor children, widows, orphans and other unfortunate persons, regarding whom complaint shall first be made to the Council holding prerogative jurij^diction in order to obtain justice there; of all contracts or obligations; of matters pertaining to possession of benefices, fiefs, cases of lesje majestatis, of religion and all criminal matters and excesses prescribed and unchallenged, and all persons by prevention may receive acquittance from matters there complained of; and generally take cognizance of, and administer law and justice in, all cases appertaining to the supremacy of the Company."

Owing to the difficulties which arose at the close of Kieft's administration, and continued duriug the

earlier years of that of Stuyvesant, between the Commonalty of New Nethcrland and the West India Company as represented by those Directors, growing out of the restrictions upon trade and traders established by the Company and strictly enforced by their officers, the States-Guiicral, after the delegates. Van der Donck, Couwenhoveu and Bout, wlio were sent by the Commonalty to Holland, had explained the matters in question, enacted on the 24th of May 1(550, a third Charter of " Freedoms and Exemptions," which modified somewhat the clauses of that of 10-40 relating to trade, and the administration of justice in some minor points.' It did not however vary in the least the principles of the former Charters, or the system of settlement and Colonization by them fixed and established in relation to land and its tenure.