Every one can easily imagine the amount of knowledge these men, who have spent all their lives at sea and have been brought up to ship business, possess of matters of law and of husbandmen's disputes; besides which, the Director keeps them so dependent that they dare not speak, as will appear from this circumstance at Curasao, before the Director ever saw New -1 Netherland. As they were discoursing about the value of Caracks, the Director himself said to the minister and others: "Domine Johannes, I thought I had " bi ought honest sliippers vpith me, but I find that I have brought a pack of thieves." And this was said of these gentlemen Councillors, but principally of the Naval officer, for Captain Jelmer was mostly all the time at sea. But they let it pass unnoticed, a sign that they were dependent ; they did not fare the worse for it, however, for Paulus Lenaertse hath but trifling wages and yet has built a better dwelling-house here than any other person. How this is done, is too deep The Director bear- for US ; for though the Dircctor is aware of these things, he nevertheless observes Paulus ^ Lraacrjae gjiencc whcu Paulus Lcuaertse begins to get excited, which he would not suffer from any other person and this gives rise to divers unfavorable surmises. To ;

complete the bench of justice, there still remain the Secretary and the Fiscal Hendrick van Dyck, who has been formerly here as Ensign. Director Stuyvesant The Fiscal 29 pvcludcd ^ him twentv-uine j (39) months from the Council board, for the reason, i months out of the \