But they shall be warned that the Company reserves the Island Manhattes to itself. All Patroons and Feudatories shall, on requesting it, be granted Venia Testandi, or the power to dispose of, or bec[ueath, his fief by Will. For Masters or Colonists, shall be acknowledged, those who will remove to New Netherland with five souls above fifteen years; to all such, our Governor there shall grant in property one hundred morgens, Rhineland measure, of land, contiguous one to the other, wherever they please to select. And the Patroons, of themselves or by their agents, at the places where they will plant their Colonies, shall have the privilege to extend the latter one mile (consisting of, or estimated at, 1600 Rhineland perches) along the coast, bay or a navigable

90 The Hudson River

river, and two contiguous miles landward in ; it being well understood, that no two Patroonships shall be selected on both sides of a river or bay, right opposite to each other; and that the Company retains to itself the property of the lands lying between the limits of the Colonies, to dispose thereof hereafter according to its pleasure ; and that the Patroons and Colonists shall be obliged to give each other an outlet and issue, (uytteweeghen ende uyttewateren) at the nearest place and at the smallest expense; and in case of disagreement, it shall be settled in the presence and by the decision of the Governor for the time being. The Patroons shall forever possess all the lands situate within their limits, together with the produce, superficies, minerals, rivers and fountains thereof, with high, low and middle jurisdiction, hunting, fishing, fowling and milling, the lands remaining allodial, but the jurisdiction as of a perpetual hereditary fief, devolvable by death as well to females as to males, and fealty and homage for which is to be rendered to the Company, on each of such occasions, with a pair of iron gauntlets, redeemable by twentv guilders within a year and six weeks, at the Assembly of the XIX., here, or before the Governor there; with this understanding, that in case of division of said fief or jurisdiction, be it high, middle or low, the parts shall be and remain of the same nature as was originally conferred on the whole, and fealty and homage must be rendered for each part thereof by a pair of iron gauntlets, redeemable by twenty guilders, as aforesaid.