The Dutch-English controversy regarding the Westchester tract was one of the incidental phases of the general boundary dispute, which Stuyvesant, from the very beginning of his arrival in New a deciNetherland as director-general, had iu vain sought to bring to sion In 1650, as the result of overtures made by him for an amicable with adjustment of differences, he held a conference at Hartfordand on ; Colonies English United the by d appointe oners commissi the 19th of September articles of agreement were signed by both

SETTLEMENT

WESTCHESTER

TOWN

parties in interest, which provided that the bounds upon the main "should begin at the west side of Greenwich Bay, being about four miles from Stamford, and so to run a northerly line twenty miles up into the country, and after as it shall be agreed by the two governments, of the Dutch and of New Haven, provided the said line come not within ten miles of the Hudson River." But these articles, constituting a provisional treaty, were never ratified by the home governments. In 1054 the States-General of the Netherlands instructed their ambassadors in London to negotiate a boundary line, an undertaking, which, however, they found it impossible to accomplish. The English government, when approached on the subject, assumed a haughty attitude, pretending total ignorance of their High Mightinesses having any colonies in America, and, moreover, declaring that, as no proposal on the boundary question had been received from the English colonies in America, it would be manifestly improper to consider the matter in any wise. Subsequent attempts to settle this issue were equally unsuccessful. Nevertheless, itwas always urged by Stuyvesant that, in the absence of a regularly confirmed treaty, tin- articles of 1050 ought to be adhered to in good faith on both sides, as embracing mutual concessions for the sake of neighborly understanding, which were carefully formulated at the time and had never been repudiated.