48 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1648. 



it gave reason to suspect that the representative of New Nether- 

 land, on " the South river," was disposed to make the most out 

 of a very small matter.^ 



Governor Printz was generally successful in the execution of 

 every scheme in which he engaged, but this year Stuyvesant was 

 advised that he (the governor) was tampering with the Minquas, 

 and endeavouring to obtain their consent to the erection of a 

 Swedish trading post in their country.- Either the Dutch gover- 

 nor was misinformed, or Printz had over-estimated his influence 

 with this distant savage nation ; for no such trading post was 

 ever established. 



During the winter, the Swedes had been engaged in bringing 

 together a large quantity of logs, and had already carried a 

 great number of them to the Schuylkill. This made Hudde appre- 

 hensive, " that the Governor had an intention to construct some 

 buildings near the place where the vessels are now usually laying 

 at anchor;" and he says, "as these, trading as before, had been 

 driven from Kinsessing, and Ave cannot otherwise approach the 

 large woods to trade with the Minquas, by which consequently 

 the trade being lost to us, the possession of the river, as I well 

 observed before, would deserve very little consideration."^ In 

 case the Swede went on with the building, and took possession 

 of some yet unoccupied places, Hudde humbly proposed ^'to 

 take possession of the tract of land nearest to him, in the name of 

 the Company.'' It happened very opportunely for the commis- 

 sary, and affords him some excuse for his subsequent proceedings, 

 which otherwise might have been considered as an act of aggres- 

 sion, " that on the fourth day of the same month, some sachems 

 came to him from the savages of Passayonk, Avho asked him why 

 he did not build on the Schuylkill ; that the Swedes had already 

 there some buildings constructed." Circumstances sometimes 

 almost miraculously adapt themselves to our wishes, or we might 

 suspect that Hudde had some instrumentality in bringing about 

 this kind invitation of the Passayonk savages, for the Dutch to 

 occupy their lands. 



Having received " correct information with regard to the anti- 

 cipation by the Swede ; and particularly so with regard to some 

 places of the highest importance," he directly prepared himself 

 to build near the place ^ and on the 27th "went thither with the 

 most necessary timber, calling then without delay for the sachems, 

 and stating to them, that at present, he came there with the 



' Hudde's Rep. 437. 2 jjist. New Netherland, ii. 79. 



3 Hudde's Report, 438. This langnage of Hudde, confirms what has before been 

 suggested that the Dutch vessels were not driven from their usual place of anchorage 

 and trade in the Schuylkill, by the Swedes, and had only been interfered with when 

 they themselves were the siggressors. They were very properly driven from "Kinsess- 

 ing," where the Swedes had their " Strong House" as a regular trading post. 



