The English themselves, according to their charter, place New England on the coast between the forty-first and forty-fifth degrees of latitude. But the English began in the year 1606, to resort to Virginia, which is South of our territory of New Netherland, and fix the boundaries, according to their charter, from the thirty-seventh to the thirty-ninth degree. So that our boundaries, according to their own shewing, should be from the thirty-ninth degree inclusive, to the forty-first degree, within which bounds we are not aware that they ever undertook any plantation.
52 NEW- YORK COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS. What boundaries your High Mightinesses have granted to your subjects, can be seen by the
charter issued in the year 16J5, which your High Mightinesses will please cause to be lool^ed into. We have not the slightest knowledge of his Majesty's further allegation respecting the demand made by his father, and the result thereof.' In order to execute this business effectually, your High Mightinesses will be pleased to have this examined, and cause your High Mightinesses' Ambassador to be duly informed thereof, and to order the release of our ship and goods to be prosecuted and obtained. It is further to be remarked : tliat inasmuch as the inhabitants of those countries are freemen, and neither his Britannic Majesty's, nor your High Mightinesses' subjects, they are free to trade with whomsoever they please. That his Majesty may likewise, in all justice, grant his subjects by charter the right to trade with any people, to the exclusion of all others, his subjects, as your High Mightinesses have a right to do by yours. But, that it is directly contrary to all right and reason, for one potentate to prevent the subjects of another to trade in countries whereof his people have not taken, nor obtained actual possession from the right owners, either by contract or purchase.