Company would protect and take them under its care and guardianship, offering for that purpose to behave as inhabitants and subjects of this State ; as is to be seen by the annexed extract of said Director's despatch, dated 0''' October, lb53, N" 7. And although many would have seized that opportunity thus to be rid of them and to be master of those who, by force and contrary to repeated protests, had settled there, and at whose hands they had, in addition, many affronts, injuries and losses, yet such was not done, but the. said Director suffered so even did not want and was unwilling to accept this their offer of removing under the

HOLLAND DOCUMENTS: VIII. 591 Company's obedience, merely in order to prevent and obviate all difficulties and complaints which might be made and put forth in this country about the matter. This civility and peaceable proceeding done with so good and upright a meaning and intention, met wfith a very ill return; for afterwards in the month of May of the year 1654, came a Swedish ship full of people into the aforesaid South River, with a new Governor who, contrary to all right and reason, forcibly made themselves masters of the Company's newly erected fort Casimir, stripped the Company's people and soldiers, who were but few in number, of their ariiis and thrust them forth, and obliged and forced the free men to take the oath of allegiance to the Swedish Governor, as they were not resolved to leave all their property there ; as further is to be seen by the copy of the collected affidavits thereof made, and by the annexed extracts