Stuyvesant, under the canopy of heaven, declared loudly that every one should have justice done to him, which assurance was very agreeable to the community; a few days afterwards, however, being well persuaded and led away by Kieft, Stuyvesant began to assemble a court of justice, had the letter of the 8 deputed petitioners to the chamber of Amsterdam laid before it, and having chosen the side of Kieft, and wishing to take care that afterwards no similar charge should be brought against him, he considered these 8 chosen men as private persons, and regarded all their conduct and the whole process between Kieft and them - in no other light.

In his opinion it was treason to petition against one's magistrates whether there was cause or not. What Kieft simply denied was considered as of more weight than the proofs produced by his antagonists.

And when the arbiters produced divers memorials, points and persons to prove the truth of what was written, their statements were either entirely rejected or a part of what came to light was suppressed.

And what was more, the other persons who had riiediteed two letters were prevailed upon and obliged by high authority and severe menaces as also by fair promises, not to divulge what would be communicated to them, to revoke what had been written, or at least in order to give it another appearance to declare they had been bribed to subscribe it and had been mis-

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