Report of Committee on Historical Tablet 25 



For copies of original documents relating to Hudson, and ref- 

 erences on the subject, see Henry Hudson the Navigator, by G. 

 M. Asher, the Hakluyt Society, London i860; and Narratives of 

 New Netherland. N. Y. 1909. 



n. THE settlement OF OLD TOWN^ THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 



LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AND INCIDENTS LEADING UP TO 



THOSE EVENTS 



1623. Director Stuyvesant, in a letter to the directors in Hol- 

 land, dated September 24, 1661, reports that certain persons are 

 trying to influence the King of England to take Fort Amster- 

 dam, "by telhng him, that the W. I. Co. claims and holds this 

 province by unlawful title, because in 1623 King James had 

 granted to the Company only a watering place on Staten Island 

 and nothing more." (Col. Doc. 14: 506.) 



1628. Isaac de Rasieres, Provincial Secretary, wrote as fol- 

 lows in 1627 or 1628: "The west point is an island, inhabited by 

 from 80 to 90 savages, who support themselves by planting 

 maize." (Narr. New Neth. 103.) 



1630. A sale of Staten Island to Michael Pauw (absent) was 

 made by the Indians, and attested by Director Minuit, August 10, 

 1630. (Col. Doc. 13: 2.) 



1637. In 1637 the Directors of the West India Co. at Amster- 

 dam succeeded in purchasing from Michael Pauw his territorial 

 rights as Patroon. (Brodhead i : 268; Holland Doc. 5: 400; N. 

 Y. Hist. Soc. Coll. 2d Ser. 2 : 338.) Nothing has been brought 

 forth to show that Pauw ever entered upon his purchase. 



1639. First colonization. — The first colonization of Staten 

 Island that has been brought to light is recorded in Short His- 

 torical and Journal Notes by David Pietersz de Vries, Alck- 

 maer 1655, which states: 



"ANNO. 1639 The 5th January I sent my people to Staten 

 Island to begin to plant a colony there, with assistance to build." 

 (Narr. New Neth. 202. Old South Leaflets No. 168 p. 2.) 



