Director Kieft hath caused divers protests, both in Latin and other languages, to be served on these people, commanding them by virtue of his commissions, in the name of the Lords States General, his Serene Highness of Orange, and the Honorable Directors of the Incorporated West India Company, to desist from their proceedings and usurpations, and in case of refusal, warning them thereby that satisfaction should be required of them, some time or other, according as circumstances might allow; but it was knocking at a deaf man's door, for The English eon- they " did uot heed it, nor give it any attention but, on the contrary, had ; tinue to encroach on i , ihe land, moreover rccoursc to Several subterfuges, circumstances, false pretences and sophistical disregard every pro- o ' r ' r •

themservel bfsub^ arguuicnts, to give a color to their actions, and to cast a doubt and impeach our lerfuges. lawful claim and valid title to the premises. General Stuyvesant hath also had repeated differences with them on this subject, but it remains in statu quo. The

' Brouttscrye, in tlie piiuteJ Verloorjh ; evidently a typographical error. Ed.

HOLLAND DOCUMENTS : IV. 289

farthest that they have ever been willing to come is, to declare that the matter could never be arranged in this country, and that they were content and very desirous that their High Mightinesses should arrange it with their Sovereigns, and as this is very necessary, inasmuch as the English already occupy and have The Eogiish have ^"^ seized nearly the half of New Netherland, which hereafter can well be of great SeriaSd/ importance, so it is earnestly to be desired, that their High Mightinesses w^ould please to press this matter, before it proceed farther, and the breach become irreparable. We should now pass from this to the South river, by the English called Delaware bay, with a view first to describe the boundaries in this way, consecutively; but we cannot omit, in passing, to say that there was here, both in Director's Kieft's time and in that of General Stuyvesant, a certain Englishman