"Some doubt has hitherto existed in regard to the name of the Director-General or Governor of the Colony prior to the year 1633 and although it was generally supposed that the office ;

was then held by Peter Minuit, yet no official act of that person as chief magistrate was among our records. The fact is now established by the discovery of an original grant of lands, signed by Peter Minuit and his Council, dated at Fort Amsterdam, July 15th, 1630. The original parchment containing this grant was procured by Mr. Brodhead, and is now deposited

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xl GENERAL INTRODUCTION. in the Secretary of State's office. It is the only official act now extant of the first Governor of the Colony. " It is not, however, the intention of the committee in this report to pursue the analysis of the documents procured by Mr. Brodhead from the different archives to which he had access. The calendars printed with his report are sufficient for this purpose, and exhibit with great clearness the variety and richness of materiel comprised in the collection. "The committee will only add, that Mr. Brodhead, having finished his labors in Holland, returned to London in December, 1841, where in the meantime a change of ministry had taken place -- Lord Palmerston having been succeeded by Lord Aberdeen in the office of Foreign Secretary. A more friendly policy towards the objects of the Agency was now manifested, and, with the valuable aid of the new American Minister, Mr. Everett, the preliminary difficulties were removed, and Mr. Brodhead entered upon the labors of his mission ; not, however, without encountering many precautions of the government, that contributed to embarrass these labors and add to the trouble and expense attending them. It will be observed, in the report of Mr.