352 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



This might be understood of its use by the whites, but an early 



historian lamented its introduction. — Hubbard, p. 40 



There are some references to its value in the Holland documents. 

 In 1650 complaint was made that no order had been received re- 

 lating tOi wampum as currency in New Netherlands. The West 

 India company answered that there was no currency among the 

 common people there but wampum, which formerly passed at four 

 for a stiver and was now six. Without regulating its yalue it was 

 noted in 1634 that " wampum being, in a manner, the currency of 

 the country, with which the produce of the interior is paid for, must 

 be considered as obtained goods, being the representative thereof." 

 In 1658 the sheriff of New Netherlands^ acting as commissary, was 

 selling goods in small quantities for wampum. Proposals for 

 changed values were frequent. The Holland directors wrote in 

 1656: "We consider a change in the value of your currency, that is, 

 placing the beaver at six florins instead of eight, and wampum at 

 eight for a stiver instead of six, a matter of great importance 

 which must be well considered." On this Gov. Stuyvesant wrote in 

 1660: "To reduce the price of wampum to 12 or 16 for a stiver, 

 as we have reduced it from 8 to 10, in receiving it at our offices, 

 will remedy the evil only for a brief period. The traders would 

 give the length of a hundred hands instead of fifty." A stable 

 metallic currency was needed. 



The Lazus and ordinances of New Nethcrland, 1638-74, contain 

 many wampum laws. In 1641 rough and unpolished beads had 

 been brought in, "and the good polished wampum, commonly called 

 Manhattan wampum is wholly put out of sight or exported, which 

 tends to the express ruin and destruction of this country." In 1647 

 loose wampum was to continue current, but imperfect, broken and 

 unperf orated beads were to be picked out and declared bullion. In 

 1650 loose wampum had depreciated from poor quality, and there 

 were "many without holes and half finished; also some of stone, 

 bone, glass, mussel shells, horn, yea even of wood and broken 

 beads ;" therefore it must be strung. Good should be six white and 

 three black for a stiver- poor, eight white and four black for the 

 f^m^r It wag to be leg^.I tender PDly in Itoited quai^ii^iess 



