We have, among other things, submitted to the Director and Council on the 12"" of this month, pursuant to our Commission and instructions, the nomination of a double number in order to elect six other Select men in place of those retiring, but he himself reports, that he will not act on it ; he says, that we have exceeded our Commission and instruction, and ignores the amplification granted to us, which he, nevertheless, signed in his Register of resolutions in the presence of us all, and his Council afterwards approved and also signed. The Vice Director and Fiscal entered the annexed protest against the Director principally because his Honor hath without their knowledge negotiated with the English at the North, and in that transaction hath without doubt committed an error, for the version of the news from New England is for the most part true and moreover, because his Honor was not willing to ;

communicate anything about it to them. There is one circumstance regarding this protest, worthy of remark, viz'. The Vice director and Fiscal are continued of the Council, and not discharged or dismissed, yet, though everything is kept secret and concealed from them, all is done and executed as if they assented thereunto.

Extract of a joint letter of the Select men to Adriaen van der Donck, dated 26 November, 1650.

To be brief, you will be able to understand everything from the accompanying. It grieves us exceedingly that we, in the observance of our oaths and honor, are still daily subjected to gross scoffs, jeers and misrepresentations, to our serious private loss respectively, as has been stated to you in the extract from the Journal, &c. So far is it gone, that the Director, instead