The Directors of the Incorporated West India Company now present representing the Assemby of theXIX. met here at tlie Hague, most respectfully submit: That the English nation bordering on our territory of New Netherland on the North, have for some years been endeavoring by undue practices and means to invade, on unfounded pretences, our lands and jurisdiction; many protests have been made against such proceedings, but remarking that they, relying on their numbers, having more people than we, and we being apprehensive of further invasions from time to time, in order to obviate all troubles between them and us, the Directors had resolved to instruct their Governor to employ all means, to induce that nation by all fair oti'ers to come to a neighborly, good correspondence and provisional settlement of the Boundary, which order he hath obeyed, and accordingly, so far succeeded that the English consented to confer thereupon with our Governor, which conference also followed. On the invitation of that English nation of New England, the Governor did, in the year 1650, proceed to Hartford, and attend the Meeting of their deputies, called for that purpose, where, in friendly negotiation, a provisional Boundary was agreed upon, subject to the approval of their respective superiors, as your High Mightinesses can see by the extract of Governor Stuyvesant's despatch dated 26"" November 16-50. Since that time the aforesaid Directors had requested your High Mightinesses, to instruct Mess" Cats' and others, your High Mightinesses' extraordinary ambassadors, on their departure for England, to ratify, in the negotiation with the government of England, this boundary line, which we doubt not would be done, had not God the Lord been pleased, on account of our sins, to cut short for a time, the thread of that negotiation, and we are now informed that some extraordinary ambassadors have gone thither, to renew negotiations, whereunto the Almighty will grant his gracious blessing for his honor and the welfare of these countries, the aforesaid Directors ex-otficio, could not omit humbly praying your High Mightinesses, that the aforesaid extraordinary ambassadors may be intrusted in their commission with this settlement of the boundary, not only as regards those of New England, bordering on our territory on the North, who are now agitating unfounded questions, doubtless by order of the government of England, but also on the other side, to the South, with the English of Virginia.