1654.] iireTORY of Delaware county. 63 



unsoldler-likc manner in which the capture was effected. Rysingh 

 was not a soldier, and it does not appear that Annmdson, com- 

 missioned as his military colleague, accompanied him, or was 

 ever in the country. 



The exploit of capturing Fort Casimir, happened on Trinity 

 Sundcv/, and in commemoration of that circumstance, the captors 

 changed the name of the fortress to Trefalldigheet or Trin'dij 

 fort. News of the event was duly communicated to Governor 

 Stuyvesant, both by Rysingh and Bicker, — their statements of 

 course, varying somewhat in the details of the transaction. Three 

 or four of the Dutch soldiers, including Bicker, remained on the 

 river, who, with nearly all the Dutch freemen residing there, 

 took an oath of fidelity to the Swedish governor. The depositions 

 of Van Tienhoven and the 8 or 10 soldiers who returned to 

 New Amsterdam, place the conduct of Bicker in a very unfavor- 

 able light. His behaviour served as an invitation, to a small 

 body of men, to capture the fort, who probably had only been 

 detailed to make a formal demand for its surrender, preliminary 

 to the usual negotiations in such cases. But the " brave and 

 courageous Lieutenant Swen Schute," who commanded the 

 Swedes, was not the man to allow so favorable an opportunity to 

 pass unimproved, for he was never more in his element than when 

 administering a lesson of humility to the Dutch. 



With the capture of Fort Casimir, the authority of the Dutch 

 on the river, for the time being, was suspended. The Engineer 

 Peter Lindstroom, who came to the country with Rysingh, caused 

 this fort to be greatly strenghtened. He also laid out the town of 

 Christina back of the fort of that name, and constructed a map 

 of New Sweden.' There also arrived with Rysingh several officers, 

 some troops and a clergyman ;- and all the Dutch accounts men- 

 tion that he was accompanied by a large number of people. 



We are informed by Acrelius, that Papegoya soon went home, 

 and that Rysingh assumed the title of Director-general.^ 



On the ITth of June, a great convocation of Indians including 

 ten sachems was held at Printz Hall on Tinicum ; at which " it was 

 offered on behalf of the Queen of Sweden, to renew the ancient 

 league of friendship that subsisted between them and the Swedes, 

 who had purchased from them the lands they occupied. The Indians 

 complained that the Swedes had brought much evil upon them ; 

 for many of them had died since their coming into the country," 

 whereupon considerable presents were distributed among the 

 Indians, which brought about a conference among themselves. 

 The result was a speech from one of their chiefs, Naaman, in 



' Engravings of these are containe*! in the translation of Campanius, by the late 

 Pettr S. Dupooceau. 



^ Aerelius, 414. ^ lb. 



