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HOLLAND DOCUMENTS: V. 395

Netherland Delegates to return this season, to The Directors understand that these people encourage and animate all the inhabitants are not fit to contribute anything to the poputhere to sedulously attend to Ihe cultivation of lation and its advancement, inasmuch as tiiey

the soil, the improvement, security and increase have set themselves up against the Company of the population within their limits. And and its officers, accordingly that the offer respecting the conveyance of passengers and farmers, which they made, ought to be speedily accepted and executed; and further, that this Provisional

Order be enacted and also furnished to tliem :

Adriaen van der Donch^ to the Committee of the States- General. (From MS. ia the Eoyal Archives at the Hague ; Loketkat of the Slates General ; Eubric Vest Indische Compagnie, No. 30 ; 16th division of the Bundle. ]

To the Noble Mighty Lords, the Lords of Heraertsbergen Loo, Velt, van der Hoick and others, a Committee on the Redress of the ruined affairs of New Netherland.

Noble, Mighty Lords. The very laudable zeal which their High Mightinesses and you, Noble Mighty, have been pleased to evince as well for the preservation of whatever yet remains by God's especial blessing in ruined New Netherland as for the restoration of the sad and prostrate affairs there, supplies me with confidence and courage to lay before you. Noble Mighty, some means which will be highly necessary, and, according to all' human calculation, advantageous and profitable to their High Mightinesses' design herein. The affairs of New Netherland assumed in the beginning a favorable appearance of good progress and especial advantage from individuals and particularly from the State ; but the hope which everyone there entertained of the proximate establishment of some improvement in that quarter, hath been well nigh destroyed, the work being almost smothered in the birth by misgovernment on the part of the officers there as well in oppressing private citizens, as