There was not indeed at first, in Director Kieft's administration, so favorable an opportunity as since, because the duties on the peltries were collected in Fatherland, and the freemen had not yet granted any excise, but after the public The duties on It"" calamity -- we mean, the rash war -- was brought on us, the duties on the peltries Neiheriand. began to collectcd in this country, and an effort was made to impose a beer excise, about which a conference was had with the Eight men, then chosen from among the people, who did not understand it; but requested to know in what manner and on what footing it would be established and how long it was to continue. Director Kieft promised that it siiould continue only until the arrival of a Company's ship, a new Director, or until the end of the war. And though all The beer excise was nearly "^ doubted this, and it was not agreed to, yet he introduced it by force. The iutroduced by force. i j • j beer belonging to the brewers who would not consent to an excise, was distributed i i i

among the soldiers as a prize, and so it has continued ; but it has produced great strife and discontent; for from that time forward the Director endeavored to The Director begins divide the country and to establish a faction those who were on his side could ;

try, and^s very j'eat- not do amiss, howevcr badly they behaved; those who were opposed to him areiisited. were always wrong, however well they acted, and the order to consider half an error as a whole one, was then strictly enforced. So great was the Director's