two Burgomasters and five Schepens, from all of whose judgments an appeal shall lie to the Supreme Council, where definite judgment shall be decreed. " In the Election of the aforesaid persons every attention must be paid to honest and respectable individuals who we hope can be found among the Burghers and especially do we wish that those promoted thereto be, as much as possible, persons of this Nation, who we suppose will give the most satisfaction to the Burghers and Inhabitants. Sheriff,

;

The above "order" will be found entire in O'Callaghan's Hist, of N. Netherland. Vol. 2. p. 132, but so much of it

only is given here as applies to the first establishment of a Municipal form of government, in the present city of New York. 2 In a Duplicate of the above Despatch, the words "een Schout" (a Sheriff,) are crossed over with ink, tho' not of the tame color as that in which the original wag written. New Amsterdam did not have a City Sheriff until 1660.

PAPERS RELATING TO THE CITY OF NEW-YORK.

INSTRUCTION FOR THE SHERIFF OF NEW AMSTERDAM. [

Dutch Records; Letter V. 1652--1663. ]

In the first place, the Sheriff shall, as the Director General and Council's guard ton of the law

1.

in the district of the city of New Amsterdam, preserve, protect and maintain, to

.e

best of his

knowledge and ability, the preeminences and immunities of the privileged West India Company, in as far as these have been delegated by previous Instruction to the Board of Burgomasters and Schepens 2.