Tuttle : Historic Maps of Staten Island 79 



" On the 27th of July 1626 by the help of God, I arrived with 

 the ship The Arms of Amsterdam before the bay of the great 

 Mauritse River, sailing into it about a musket shot from Godyn's 

 Point, into Coenraets Bay ; then sailed on North East and North 

 North East, to about half way from the low sand bank called 

 Godyn's Point, to the Hamels-Hoofden, the mouth of the river. 



" The West point is an island inhabited by from 80 to 90 

 savages, who support themselves by planting maize. 



" The East point is a very large island full 24 miles long 

 (Dutch miles — 4 English geographical miles). 



" The Hamels Hoof den being passed there is about a mile 

 width in the river, and also on the West side there is an inlet 

 where another river runs up about 20 miles to the North North 

 East, emptying into the Mauritse River in the highlands. 



" At the side of the before mentioned little river which we 

 called Achter Col, there is a great deal of waste reedy land; the 

 rest is full of trees, and in some places there is good soil, where 

 the savages plant their maize upon which they live, as well as 

 by their hunting. 



" The other side of the same small river according to con- 

 jecture, is about 20 to 23 miles broad to the South (now Dela- 

 ware) river." 



It seems probable, therefore, that the name Staten Island came 

 into use some time after this letter was written and previous to 

 1630. 



No. 5. Novi Belgii Novaeque Angliae nec non Partis 

 Virginiae Tabula Multis in Locis. Emendata A 



NlCOLAO JOANNIS VlSSCHERO. 



(Issued in 1655. This is thought to be the earliest of a num- 

 ber of Dutch maps copied one from the other or printed from the 

 same plate after various alterations. The view of New Amster- 

 dam is next to the oldest known. Staaten Eyl. and Rivier Achter 

 Kol appear on the map.) 



