Peter Stuyvesant, the Last Dutch Governor of New Amsterdam

by John S. C. Abbott

"Now we hope for a chance to pepper these devilish Dutch
traders. They have salted us too long. We know where their
booty is stored. And we know also where the young girls live
who wear gold chains."

Under these circumstances the governor was compelled to yield. He appointed six commissioners to confer with the same number of the English. The parties met at Governor Stuyvesant's residence on his farm or bouwerie, at eight o'clock in the morning of August 27th. The terms were speedily settled, for the English would enforce any demands which they were disposed to make. There were twenty-three articles of agreement, entering into many details. The substance was that New Netherland passed over entirely to the English. The Dutch retained their property. If any chose to leave the country they could do so. The ships of the Dutch merchants could, for the six months next ensuing, trade freely with the Netherlands, as heretofore. The people were to be allowed liberty of conscience in divine worship and church discipline. No Dutchman should be impressed to serve in war against any nation whatever. All the inferior civil officers were allowed to continue in office until the next election, when they would be required to take the oath of allegiance to the king of England.

The next day was Sunday. These articles were therefore not ratified until eight o'clock Monday morning. It was agreed that within two hours after the ratification, "the fort and town called New Amsterdam, upon the island of Manhatoes," should be delivered up. The military officers of the fort, and the soldiers were to be permitted to march from their intrenchments with their arms, drums beating and colors flying.

Colonel Nicholls took possession of the government. He changed the name of the city from New Amsterdam to New York, in honor of the Duke of York, the brother of the King of England. The fort was called fort James. Colonel Nicholls became the deputy governor for James, the Duke of York, in administering the affairs of the extended realms which the British government had thus perfidiously seized. We regret to say, but history will bear us out in the assertion, that there is no government in Christendom whose annals are sullied with so many acts of unmitigated villany as the government of Great Britain.

Colonel Nicholls immediately sent an armed force up the river, to take possession of fort Orange; and another to the Delaware, to unfurl the English flag over New Amstel. The name of fort Orange was changed to fort Albany, the second title of the Duke of York. Three frigates were sent to the Delaware. The severest punishment was denounced against the Dutch and Swedes there, should they make any resistance. The same terms were offered them which were granted to the people at New Amsterdam.

The command of this expedition was entrusted to Sir Robert Carr. Notwithstanding the sacred stipulations into which Carr had entered, he trampled them all beneath his feet. Governor Stuyvesant writes,

"At New Amstel, on the South river, notwithstanding they
offered no resistance, but demanded good treatment, which
however they did not obtain, they were invaded, stript bare,
plundered, and many of them sold as slaves in Virginia."

This testimony is corroborated by a London document, which says,

"From the city and the inhabitants thereabout were taken one
hundred sheep, thirty or forty horses, fifty or sixty cows
and oxen, between sixty and seventy negroes, the brew-house
still-house and all the material thereunto belonging. The
produce of the land, such as corn, hay, etc., was also
seized for the king's use, together with the cargo that was
unsold, and the bills of what had been disposed of, to the
value of four thousand pounds sterling.
"The Dutch soldiers were taken prisoners, and given up to
the merchant-man that was there, in payment for his
services; and they were transported into Virginia to be
sold. All sorts of tools for handicraft tradesmen, and all
plough gear, and other things to cultivate the ground, which
were in store in great quantity, were likewise seized,
together with a sawmill ready to set up, and nine sea buoys
with their iron chains.
"Even the inoffensive Menonists, though thoroughly
non-combatant from principle, did not escape the sack and
plunder to which the whole river was subjected by Carr and
his co-marauders. A boat was dispatched to their settlement,
which was stripped of everything, even to a very nail."

At New Amsterdam, Colonel Nicholls paid more respect to the terms of the treaty. Citizens, residing there, were not robbed of their private property. But the gentlemen of the West India Company, in Holland, found all their property mercilessly confiscated. Colonel Nicholls seized on everything upon which he could lay his hand. He seemed anxious to eradicate every vestige of the former power. This property was sold at auction that it might thus be distributed among a large number of individual owners. The Colonel shrewdly imagined that he might thus interest all these persons in the maintenance of the new power.