We think it strange that no better attention is paid to the Vice-Director's repeated letters to the Board of Directors informing them that their public property in this country is becoming private, and that the public good is not studied here. It grieves us extremely that the Hon'''' Company itself is defrauded, the people oppressed, and that even such persons are still found as counteract the public interest. You can readily conceive what grief it causes among the people here when the Fiscal announced that the Directors (in Amsterdam) had written to Mr. Stuyvesaut, among many other things, to pay no regard nor attention to any safeguard or

452 NEW- YORK COLONIAL MANUSCRIPTS. pMsport of their High Mightinesses. Mr. Pergens and others know best whetlier it be so. It

grieves us to be obliged to listen to such things; high euiogiums on the Hon'"'* Company and ridicule of the States and the Ship of state (whereof we have never made mention), is greatly in vogue with the Director and his adherents, and recourse is had to every expedient to influence our Board and to insult us in particular, so that we may by our errors in some way afford a pretext for confiscations and banishments. But we bope that the good God will preserve us against this craftiness, and that their High Mightinesses will quickly bring matters to a close, for our release from this wearisome business.

Extracts of the last letters of the year 1651, written to me since the Select men and the V'ice Director have been dismissed, contrary to their High Mightinesses' order; serving also for the justification and verification of the petition, as proving clearly the points set forth therein.