60 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1653. 



return to Sweden, is dated on the 12th of r>ecember, when it 

 may be supposed he had ah'eady embarked. He was urged to 

 dehiy his departure until " the best arrangements could be made 

 in regard to his successor." It has been said that Printz became 

 unpopular, "by the exercise of a too rigid authority."^ This 

 letter is conclusive, that he possessed the entire confidence of his 

 government. 



The commission^ of John Eysingh, the successor of Printz, 

 bears the same date with the above letter. Both documents 

 show that the government contemplated the continuance of 

 Printz in the country for some time longer, during which period 

 Rysingh would act as his aid. But the interval between the de- 

 parture of the old Governor and the arrival of the new one, during 

 which the burden of the government devolved on Papegoya, 

 must have been brief — not exceeding five or six months. 



The semi-romantic claim and settlement of Sir Edmund Plow- 

 den or Ployden, although its vague boundaries probably included 

 the district now embraced within the limits of Delaware County, 

 has not been noticed in its proper order of time, because it has 

 little or no historical value in connection with the early settle- 

 ments on the Delaware. To show, however, that the "Earl 

 Palatine of New Albion" had a real existence, and was not a 

 myth, we give the following extract, from " The Representation 

 of New Netherland." " We cannot omit to say," (remarks the 

 author Vander Donck,) " tnat there has been here, (at Manhat- 

 tan,) both in the time of Director Kieft, and that of General 

 Stuyvesant, a certain Englishman who called himself Sir Ed- 

 ward Plowden, with the title of Earl Palatine of New Albion, 

 who claimed that the land on the west side of the North river to 

 Virginia, was his, by gift of King James of England ; but he 

 said he did not wish to have any strife with the Dutch, though he 

 was very much piqued at the Swedish Governor, John Printz at 

 the South river, on account of some affront given him, too long 

 to relate. He said that when an opportunity should offer, he 

 would go there and take possession of the river. "^ 



It is presumed the ''''opportunity''' never did offer, and the 

 reader, in consequence can only imngine the character of the 

 threatened exploit. The grant was not made, however, by King 

 James as mentioned in the extract, but it was obtained in the 

 reign of King Charles the 1st, (1634,) from the Deputy General 

 or vice-roy of Ireland.^ 



The salary of Rysingh, was 1200 dollars per annum, in silver, 



1 Clay's Annals, 24. a Haz. Reg. .398. 



•t N. Y. Hist. Col. N. S. ii. 279. (Translation hy Henry C. Murphy, Esq.,) also N. 

 Y. Col. Doc. i. 289. — Renders who may wish to examine this subject more fully, are 

 referred to Haz. Hist. Col. : Haz. Ann. and .Mulford's Hist. N. J. 



* Hist. New Netherland, i. 2S1.— X. Y. Hist. Col. ii. N. S. 323, (note B.) 



