town and secure their pel Their remuneration depended on the amount of property they secured for their principals, and to increase their gains they often had recourse to violence, wresting from the Indians their the Indians before they reached the tries.

property against their will, after inflicting on them, in addition, The evil continued, despite the efforts of the personal injuries. authorities to correct it, until the Mohawks made complaint and threatened to break their treaty and leave altogether, adding, that

" unless the practice was discontinued, perhaps matters might terminate as at Esopus." Stuyvesant, finding that no enforce ment of law could be secured at the hands of the Beaverwyck traders, sent La Montagne thither with an armed force to pa trol the woods and prosecute offenders. On the 22d of July, he went thither himself to meet a delegation of Seneca chiefs.

OF HUDSON'S RIVER.

The proceedings of the conference illustrate the nature of the alliance which at that time existed between the confederacy

and the Dutch, as well as the relations of the former with the

Esopus clans and the Mabicans.

The Seneca speaker made a

long harangue, in which he stated his complaint against the runners and the difficulty experienced by the Indians in negotiating the sale

of their beavers without restraint, and demanded their ancient freedom of trade. They would no longer submit to being locked

up by the Dutch, or kicked by those who wished to have their Several beavers, untij "we know not where our eyes are." years ago, they had visited the Manhattans, and though they had offered presents, they received no answer ; " no, not even one pipe of tobacco ;