These are threatened by the Indians every night with fire, and by day with the slaughter of both people and cattle. Achter Col where the Honb'' Mr. Van der Horst founded a Colonic, is altogether ruined, so that we have no other place of shelter remaining for ourselves, our wives and children, than around and adjoining Fort Amsterdam at the Manahactas. The enemy experiences no resistance, through want of men, arms, and ammunition with which this place is very poorly supplied. The Fort is defenceless and entirely out of order, and resembles (with submission) rather a molehill than a fort against an enemy. These Indians are, on the contrary, strong and mighty ; have, one with the other, made alliances with more than seven different tribes well supplied with guns, powder and ball, which they to their hearts' content have procured and still daily receive from private traders in exchange for beavers, and with which they murder our people. The woods and thickets are now very useful to them; they have removed all their women, children and old men into the interior, the rest of the most expert warriors hang daily on our necks, with fire and sword, and threaten to attack the Fort with all their force, which now consists of about 1500 men this we hourly expect, for all the outside places are mostly in their power. ;

It isowing entirely to their pleasure if any cattle are found alive throughout the entire country. Your Honors can easily conceive how wretchedly it fares with us, distressed people, and the whole country, for the growth and prosperity thereof consists chiefly in men, cattle and houses, in which we, jointly and severally, have exhausted all the means we have been able to realize. The population is composed mainly of women and children; the freemen (exclusive of the English) are about 200 strong, who must protect by force their families now skulking in straw huts outside the Fort; the cattle are partly burnt and killed, what remains has been conveyed to the Fort on the Manahates, where for want of food they must starve this coming winter, if