The Churches 277 



is now the property of Webb's Shipbuilding Academy and 

 Home. 



The first pastor resigned his charge, and was succeeded by 

 the Reverend Henricus Beyse, who, about 1709, also resigned 

 his position and became a minister of the Church of England. 

 Judge Lewis Morris, writing to the Propagation Society in 

 that year, says: 



" I have used some endeavours to persuade the Dutch in my 

 neighborhood into a good opinion of the Church of England; 

 and have had that success, that they would, I believe, join a 

 great part of them in the sacraments and worship — had they 

 Dutch Common Prayer books and a minister who understood 

 their language. I have taken some pains with one of their 

 ministers, one Henricus Beyse, and have prevailed on him 

 to accept of Episcopal ordination." 



It seems that the Reverend Mr. Beyse did not have an 

 altogether happy time of it after he had changed his mode of 

 worship; for, in 17 12, Governor Hunter was petitioned by the 

 clergy of the Established Church to do something for the 

 relief of the unfortunate gentleman, who not only "suffers 

 hardships, having no salary from the people of New Harlem, 

 where he officiates," but also is financially neglected by the 

 Propagation Society "through some aspersions thrown upon 

 him by his adversaries." 



The congregation, no doubt, had considerable difficulty in 

 maintaining a pastor during colonial times, as there is no re- 

 cord of a fixed pastor between 1 709 and 1 766 ; though Dominies 

 Dubois, Boel, Ritzema, and De Ronde visited and supplied 

 the church. Dominie John Peter Tetard bought his farm at 

 Kingsbridge in 1763, and came to live there in 1766, and from 

 this time until the Revolution, he occupied the pulpit. At 



