30 . AUTHENTIC HISTORY 



aneient New Amsterdam, from the Indians for the sum of (30 Dutch 

 guilders or 24 dollars gold, unquestionably, as Kapp observes,^ the best 

 land speculation ever made in New York or in America. Minnewit, who 

 placed the new colony on a iirm foundation, and greatly promoted its 

 growth by his judicious measures, continued in office until 16o2, when 

 he returned to Holland. 



During this year the charter of the Swedish West India Company,, 

 upon the plan of the Dutch West India Company, was obtained [June 

 14th, 1626,] at the instance of William Usselinx, an Antwerp merchant, 

 and original projector of the latter, from Gustavus Adolphus, King of 

 Sweden. Usselinx took this course in consequence of his disappointment 

 in the conduct of the managers of the Dutch Company. The Charter of 

 the Swedish Company is printed in the "Argonautica Gustaviana," (a 

 very rare work, the only copy kno\yn to be in this country, is in the 

 ^library of Harvard College) and a summary of it may be seen in Hazard's 

 Annals of Pennsylvania, p. 16-sq. 



"In 1629, the West India company granted, by charter, special privi- 

 leges to all persons Avho should plant any colony in New Netherlands : ^ 

 giving to the patroon, or founder, exclusive property in large tracts of 

 land, with extensive manorial and seigniorial rights. Thus encouraged, 

 several of the directors, among whom Goody n, Bloemasrt, Pauuw, and 

 Van Eensela3r, were most distinguished, resolved to make large territo- 

 rial acquisitions, and sent out Wouter Van Twiller, of Niewer Kerck, a 

 clerk of the Amsterdam department of the company, to direct its public 

 affairs, and to make a selection of lands for the benefit of individual 

 directors. 



"One of the three ships which came over in 1629, visited an Indian 

 village on the south-west corner of Delaware bay, and purchased from 

 the three chiefs of the resident tribe, in behalf of the Heer Godyn, a tract 

 of land, extending from Cape Hinloop to the mouth of the river, being 

 in length thirty-two, and in breadth two, English miles. In the succeed- 

 ing year, several extensive purchases were made, for Godyn and Bloe- 

 mcert, from nine Indian chiefs, of land at Cape May, in length sixteen 

 miles along the bay and sixteen miles in breadth ; for the director Pauuw, 

 Staten Island and a large tract on the western side of the Pludson, in the 

 neighborhood of Hoboken ; and for Van Renselair, very extensive tracts 

 along the river, above and below Fort Orange. The impolicy of these 

 large and exclusive appropriations was subsequently felt and condemned, 

 and their ratification seems to have been obtained by admitting other 

 directors to participate in them. The territory of Godyn was denomi- 

 nated Swanwendajl (Valley of Swans), that of Pauuw, Pavonia, and that 

 of Van Renselaer, Renseherwick. 



1 Geschichte der deutschen Einwa«denmg, etc. 3 Grordou. 



