PAPERS RELATING TO THE CONDITION OF NEW NETHERLAND, And, the -proceedings against Cornelius MJyn and his adherents; marked from letter A. to letter R., 1643--1647.

[ From .the anlhenticatcd Copy in the Eoyal Archives at the Hague ; Loketkas of the States General ; Division Wea IndUche Compagnie, No. 25. ]

Excise Law of 1644. A. Whereas, the General war which we have been forced to wage against the surrounding Savages hath obliged us, in order to preserve the country, to employ an

HOLLAND DOCUMENTS : III. 189 extraordinary number of soldiers, who must necessarily be paid, as well as other heavy expenses caused by the war; to accomplish which we have spared none of the available means of the Honorable the West India Company, but have, in addition, been obliged to raise as much money as we could obtain on bills of exchange, drawn on the Hon'''' the Directors; and Whereas, we are now devoid of all means, and despair of immediately receiving any assistance from Holland, in this our necessity; therefore we are constrained to find out some plan to pay the soldiers, or else must dismiss them, which according to all appearances, will lead to the utter ruin of the country, especially as the harvest is at hand whereby people must live and fodder be procured for the remaining cattle; for neither grain nor hay can be cut without soldiers. These matters being maturely considered, and all things being duly weighed with the advice of the Eight men chosen by the Commonalty, no better nor more suitable means can be found in the premises, than to impose some duties on those articles from which the good inhabitants will experience least inconvenience, as the scarcity of money is sufficiently general. We have, therefore, enacted and ordained, and do hereby enact and ordain, that there shall be paid on each half barrel of beer tapt by the tavern keepers, two guilders, one-half payable by the brewer and one half by the tapster ; the burgher who does not retail it, to pay half as much ; on each quart of Spanish wine and brandy, four stivers; French wine, two stivers, to be paid by the tapsters.