Later it was styled, "Castle Island," because upon its southern end was built the first fortified trading house erected by Corstiaensen under the charter of "The United New Netherland Company," of 14th October, 1614, and called Fort Nassau, which three years later, in 1617, was destroyed by a freshet. Subsequently, and till this day, from its proprietors, it was, and still is, known as Rensselaers Island. Here van der Donck erected a house and dwelt. In 1643 difficulties between him and Arendt von Curler, or Corlaer, the Patroon's commissary, occurred, and van der Donck, determining to leave his position, undertook to arrange for the

«I. 0'Cal„327. 61. Brod. 421.

THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MANORS.

planting of a "Colonic" at "Katskill," of Avhich he himself was to be the Patroon. This was a violation of the sixth and twenty-sixth articles of the charter of Freedoms and Exemptions of 1629, and the Patroon of Rensselaerswyck, on the 10th September, 1643, sent written orders to van Curler, to see that van der Donck desisted at once, being his "sworn officer," and if he did not, that he should " be degraded from his office and left on his bowerie to complete his contracted lease without allowing him to dej^art." This effectually put an end to the project of the Katskill Colonie, van der Donck continued to perform his duties, and matters grew much easier with van Curler. On the 18th of January, 1646, van der Donck's house burned down, at which very time he was negotiating for a sale of his lease to one Michael Jansen, to which, as the Patroon's Commissary, van Curler had to assent. A new quarrel at once arose, as to Avhether the loss should fall on the Patroon as van der Donck claimed, or on the latter as van Curler insisted.