"Towns or communes sometimes acquired independence of these feudal lords, and held their privileges directly from the crown. They were incorporated and held land in fee, and possessed the rights of patroons. They named persons from whom the executive selected officers called ' schepens. ' These constituted a board of conmiunication with their sovereign head, were a local court of justice, and had a sellout or sheriff, a secretary and a marshal. Their official term was one year. One hundred years before the Dutch settlement there were in Holland

1 O'Callaghan's '■ History of the New Netherlanile," vol. ii. p. 382.

2 Civil List of State of Xew York, 1880, p. 57. » O'Callaghan's "Hist, of S. H."

< O'Callaghan's " History of X. H.," pp. 312-313. ' There is among the records of the town of Westchester one entitled ' The Book of Courts Acts from 16.57 to ViGl. '

300 such municipalities. Both ideas came with the people and were found here.

" Strange as it may seem, while every colonie, and almost every hamlet, had its local magistracy, the citizens of New Amsterdam [New York City], the capital of the whole province, continued, greatly to their discontent, without a voice in the management of their municipal affairs. The government of the city still remained in the hands of the Director- General and his council." '

Colendonck, (Yonkers) was under the government of a patroon, such as is described above ; and the following statement gives some idea of the " Charter of Privileges and Exemptions" issued by the West India Company's College of Nineteen, June 7, 1629, in accordance with which the grant was made tO' Van der Donck :