1632.] HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. 13 



was made for Messrs. Godyn & Bloemaert, and was duly reported 

 and recorded at Manhattan on the 3rd of June following.' At 

 the date of this writing, the Walrus was in the South river, but 

 must have sailed very shortly afterwards to arrive at Holland in 

 September. A house, " well beset with palisades in place of 

 breastworks," had been erected on the north-west side of Iloorn- 

 kil, (Lewes creek,) a short distance from its mouth. It was 

 called "Fort Optlandt," and appears to have served the Colony 

 which consisted of thirty-two men, as a place of defence, a dwel- 

 ling and a storehouse. This Colony, the most unfortunate that 

 settled on the bay or river, was left under the charge of Gillis 

 Hosset or Osset. 



On the 12th of February, 1G32, we are informed by De 

 Vries, that an agreement was again entered into, " to equip a 

 ship and a yacht for the whale fisheri/ in which much profit had 

 not been realized." A second voyage was especially urged by 

 Samuel Godyn, and to render success more certain, it was re- 

 solved, says De Vries, " that 1 myself should go as patroon and 

 as commander of the ship and yacht, and should endeavor to be 

 there in December, in order to conduct the whale fishery during 

 the winter, as whales come in the winter and remain till March. "■^ 



When this second whaling voyage had been determined upon, 

 only the pecuniary disasters of the first were known to those 

 concerned in it ; but before sailing out of the Texel, the loss of 

 their little fort and the destruction of the whole Colony was com- 

 municated to De Vries. 



Leaving the Texel on the 24th of May, and taking a 

 very circuitous passage, De Vries did not enter the Delaware 

 till the 5th of December. His first greeting was, " a tvhale 

 near the ship !" vihich made him anticipate ^'' royal ivork — the 

 whales so numerous — and the land so fine for cultivation." The 

 explorations of the next day in the boat, revealed to them the 

 melancholy spectacle, of the house of the former Colony, " almost 

 burnt up," with the skulls and bones of their people, and the 

 heads of the horses and cows which they had brought with them 

 lying here and there about it ; but no Indians were to be seen. 

 After some careful manoeuvering, De Vries secured the confi- 

 dence of the Indians without risk to himself or his people. From 

 one of these who was induced to remain on board of the yacht 

 all night, on the 8th of December, De Vries learned the par- 

 ticulars of the melancholy fate of the Colonists, which is here 

 given in his own language. " He then showed us the place where 

 our people had set up a column to which was fastened a piece of 

 tin, whereon the arms of Holland were painted. One of their 



1 For this document in full, cxtracttd from the Albany Records, see Haz. Ann. 25. 

 ■' N. Y. Hist, Col. iii. N. S. 16. 



