This was restricted by the second charter, to one Dutch mile along a navagable river, or two miles landward.

The latter also provided for a class of colonists, not Patroons, in these words "For Masters or Colonists, shall be acknowledged, those who will remove to New Netherland with five souls above fifteen years; to all such, our Governor there shall grant in property one hundred morgens, (two hundred English acres) Rhineland measure, of land, contiguous one to the other, wherever they please to select."

Thus were provided for New Netherland colonists of the two upper classes then dwelling in the Republic of the United Provinces, nobles and commoners of the first class, as before described. Both of these classes, brought out the third, the common people, the boers, who were the men and women, whom they settled upon their "colonies" and farms.

All the colonists, whether the Patroons, or of the Masters of farms, "Free Colonists," as they were styled in the charter of 1640, were freed from customs, taxes, excise, imposts, or any other contributions for the space of ten years." ^

The special powers, rights and privileges of Patroons are set forth in articles VI, VII, VIII, and IX, of the charter of 1629, and as revised, and slightly altered, are thus stated in the charter of 1640 ;--

"The Patroons shall forever possess all the lands situate within their limits, together with the produce, superficies, minerals, rivers, and fountains thereof, with high, low, and middle jurisdiction, hunting, fishing, fowling, and milling, the lands remaining allodial, but the jurisdiction as of a perpetual hereditary fief, devolvable by death as well as to females as to males, and, fealty and homage for which is to be rendered to the Company, on each of such occasions, with a pair of iron gauntlets, redeemable by twenty guilders within a year and six weeks at the Assembly of the XIX here, or before the Governor there; with this understanding, that in case of division of said fief or jurisdiction, be it high, middle, or low, the parts shall be, and remain, of the same nature as was originally conferred upon the whole, and fealty and homage must be rendered for each part thereof by a pair of iron gauntlets, redeemable by twenty guilders as aforesaid.