Vnto your Excellency that your petitioners of late were impowered by the people of their several townes to caU and send for a minister either out of this province or out of Holland to instruct them in their mothers tongue in the place of their late Minister M*^ Lupardus deceased and accordingly had severall meetings about said matter, and at last concluded to addi^ess y^" Excellency fibr leave to send ffor and call one Mr Bernardus fireeman Minister of Schenechida to be their Minister, whereupon may it please your Excellency a petition was prepared by y'' Petitioners ffor that end and sent by CoU'Gerardus Beekman to y Excellency who promised tlie delivery of it, but ifailed in his promise, and writt us a letter that said petition was not well penned, and that there was some fiaults therein, and therefore would not deliver said peticon, soone after the receipt of wliieh letter y petitioners waited upon y^ Excellency about s"^ matter at Coll: Merritts and y Excellency was pleased to say you would give us an answer in a flew days which at our return home we Inflbrmed our people accordingly; notwithstanding all this a great part of the people of said towns were im-aged with y^ petitioners in craving y"" Excellencyes leaue to Call said Minister and w-ould haue noe patience to waite ffor y- Excellencyes answer, but fforthwith some of the people of fliatbush afores"^ Craned an order from s^ CoU. Beekraan for a towne meeting which was granted, and in said towne meeting a great party of said people grossly affronted and abused said Joseph Plegeman on^j of y^ Petitioners and Elders as aforesaid ffor not