On the South American mainland Brazil, a province of Portugal, at that time tributary to Spain, was conquered DUTCH WINDMI and held for several years as Dutch territory, and the country known as Dutch Guiana, where the flag of Holland still floats, also yielded itself to these merchant princes In addition numerous AVest India islands were of the Netherlands. taken. A celebrated episode of the company's naval operations during " Silver Fleet " (1628) , having the war was the capture of the Spanish the enormous value of $4,600,000 in our money. The financial concerns of the corporation prospered exceedingly as the result of these and other successes. In 1629 a dividend of fifty per cent, was declared, and in 1630 a dividend of twenty-five per cent. As we have seen, the status of the West India Company's organiza-

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tion was not exactly settled until 1(323, and although it nominally enjoyed exclusive dominion and trade privileges on the shores of the Hudson from the 1st of July, 1621, no steps were taken to colonize the land in the as yet unperfected state of its affairs. Before coming to the era of formal settlement under its administration it is necessary to complete our review of what is known of the history of the antecedent years. It is certain that the separate voyages undertaken hither by various adventurous men between 1610 and 1623 resulted in no settlement of the country worthy of the name. We find no record of any transportation ofyeomen or families to this locality for the announced object of making it their abode and developing its resources. Although there is no doubt respecting the utilization of Manhattan Island in more or less serious trading connections at an early period, the history of the first years of European occupation is involved in a haze of tradition and myth.