" ' But, on applying at the West India House, I was, to my infinite surprise and mortification, informed by Mr. de Munnick, the keeper, that all the books, documents and papers of every kind, belonging to the old East and West India Companies, of a date prior to 1700, had been sold at public auction in the year 1821, by order of the government of the Netherlands. That nothing should be left undone, however, I instituted a thorough search among the remaining papers, in the hope that something, however small, might have escaped the operaxxvi GENERAL INTRODUCTION. tion of the order. But I regret to say that this examination was attended with no favorable result ;and I reluctantly abandoned the cherished hope that the archives of the "West India Company would have proved a rich mine of historical wealth to our State. Examinations were also made in the papers of the East India Company, in the hope that something might be ascertained relative to Hudson's voyage of discovery, which was made in their service. The only trace found of that voyage is a memorandum in one of the " ship books," which accidentally escaped sale, stating that the yacht Halve-Maan, of forty lasts (eighty tons) burthen, had been sent " towards the north," in 1608. Unwilling, however, to abandon all hope of recovering a portion, at least, of the records which had been sold, I caused advertisements to be inserted in the most widely circulated journals of the country, requesting any person who might have in his possession any documents relating to the history of the Colony of New Netherland to have the goodness to communicate with the (then) Consul of the United States, at Amsterdam, Mr. J. W. Van den Broek. The kind attentions and friendly exertions of this gentleman, to further the objects of my visit to Amsterdam, have imposed on me an obligation which I would do great injustice to my feelings if I did not take this opportunity to acknowledge.