36 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



54. August 22d, 1661, Petition of Pieter Billou, Claude Le Maitre 

 and others, all recently arrived emigrants, asking that lands on 

 Staten Island " might be allotted and given them as property for 

 farm land, meadow and pastures and that lots for houses and gar- 

 dens might be laid out at a convenient place." 



" The Director General and Council heard the petition and after 

 taking it in consideration, they resolved to look up a convenient 

 place on Staten-Island and lay it out for a village." (Col. Doc. 

 13 : 206; O'Callaghan Hist. 2 : 427; Brodhead i : 692.) 



55- 1662. 15th July 1662. Extract from a letter of Director Stuy- 

 vesant to Directors in Holland, 



" 6 men on Staten-Island for the safety of the few inhabitants 

 there, . . . Your Honor's orders and instructions regarding the 

 pretenses of Melyn are strictly obeyed. It must be presumed, 

 that the lands, formerly cultivated by him, will remain abandoned, 

 as since he has been driven from them now seven years ago, he 

 has not troubled himself about the land. We hardly believe, that 

 for the present he will again take possession of them, for he has 

 taken up his residence at New Haven in New England for a few 

 years past, where he still lives." (Col. Doc. 13 : 223, 224.) 



56. 1663. Extract from journal of a voyage to the Newesinghs, 

 the Sachem and another Savage of Staten-Island, aboard. 



Dec. 6th, 1663. "About 3 o'clock we left the Manhatans under 

 sail, and arrived behind Staten Island, at about 6 o'c. in the even- 

 ing, where the Sachem of this island, and the savage went ashore." 

 (Col. Doc. 13: 314.) 



57. 1662 (about). Settlement of Old Town. — Director Stuyvesant 

 wrote to the Directors in Holland, April 26th, 1664, as follows: 



" The first point in your letter requiring an explanation, is the 

 wish, expressed by you, concerning the settling and securing of 

 both Long and Staten Islands near the Narrows. Your Honors' 

 servants are and have been taking care of this and carried it out 

 some time ago by forming hamlets on both islands, according to 

 the circumstances and the convenience of the places and soil as 

 near to the Narrows, as the accommodation of settlers would per- 

 mit. ... A hamlet not yet named, was begun on Staten Island 

 about two years ago, and has now about 12 to 14 families of Dutch 

 and French from the Palatinate ; it lies about half an hours walk 



