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Commissioners of United Colonies to Stuyvesant

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Honoured Sir ]

It is now more then a full yeare sence the Comissioners desiering to continew and Confirme a fast and profitable peace betwen the English Colonyes and the duch plantacions in these parts wrought vnto you and presented what they had heard: first Conserneing a daingerous Liberty taken by yours to sell guns, powder and shott, and other Instruments of warr to the Indians Both at Orrania forte And other places within the English Jurisdictions, a trade damnable as yourselfe calls it, sertainly vnsafe, and like to be of mischeuous Consequence both to the English and Duch, Secondly Conserneing a high Custom of Recognition with other burthens, and lnconuenient Imposisions Layed not onely one your owne people but on the English merchants Tradeing at or som time in theire returne but pasing by the Manatas, but to this wee heare not of any Prohebicion or sesation of the foremencioned Trade at the Orrania forte, Nay wee hear that the Mowhaks and other lndeans Liueing neere that place are soe furnished with guns, Powther And shott, that they growe bould, and dareing and may proue daingerous to us all, nor doe wee finde any abolishment or moderacion in the saide Customs and ] grieueances Imposed at the Manatoes, Nay wee haue not rescaiued any answer, not soe much ] as a particuler informacion as wee Requested, of what is Required and expected That wee mig ]ht Informe our merchants to prevent [future fines and Seasures.

Mr. Will. Westerhow]se one of your Contriemon, but at present a Planter at Newhauen, Informeth us and Complaineth of hi ]s owne & principalls great losse and dammage by your seasing his shipp, and goods within Newhaue ]n harbour, bee professeth hee would haue Cleered himselfe at the Manatoes of being either Rebell ] or fugitive to or from his native Countrie, that he paid due Customs at his Comeing ] forth In reference to Virginia, & the English Collonies, but not admiting him thither: It seem ]es you referred him to the expected meetein att Connicticut, heereupon wee haue perused and considered ] your Claime to all the lands, rivers,streames, etc: from Cape Hinlopen to Cape Cood, with your protest, and Letter ] both dated October the 12th 1647 sti: no: wherein wee finde sundry unsatisfiing ] passages, we haue allsoe seene diverse other letters; which you haue sent to the Govn. of ] Newhauen with his seuerall answerrs to August 28: 1648, ould stile, by all which wee finde mu ]ch Cause of a meeteing, to settle a right understanding betwixt the English Collo]nies and yourselfe,] which hath bynne by you propounded in sundirie of your letters, and was desiered and intended by the English Colonyes: though ] uppon necessarie Considerations now deferred to a fitter season; In the meane time Some passages in your letters by waye of preparation had need to bee Cleered, In yours of the 29th of June 1647 ] to the Gouernor of the Masachusets, you desier that himselfe, and some others of the English ma ]y be delegated, & that they will be pleased to giue you a meeteing, to agitate past ocasions, ] to reconcile the present, & to prevent all further and future occasions of Contestation, but ] your Closse seemes then to Import that all this, is but to prepare things that yours and ours, Lords and masters may more easilie determine, in yours of November the 15th 1647 to the Governor of New hauen mentioning the meeting by you propounded, you professe your resolution, to giue pregnant testimonie to the world of your readines for a faire and neighbourlie Composure of differences, but in your letter to Mr: Goodyear deputy Gouemor of New hauen dated the 13th December 1647, you expresse your self: more doubtfully, if you meete in the spring with the Gouemors of Massachusets and Plimmouth,J you hope you shall Indeuor a reconsciliation, but to put any thing to them as arbitratours you were not then resolued, which in some of us suspended all former thoughts of a meeteing, till the matter was againe was Reuiewed by your severall letters to the Gouemors of then Massachusets, Plimmouth, & New hau[en Whearein ] desiring a meeting at Connectichut you expresse your selfe, as not doubting but mutual!satisfaction will be given to one another In every respect, that past differances & grieuances shall bee forgott, future preuented, & a happie vnion firmly established, the premises considered wee desier to bee Informed whither you haue Comission from your prinsipalls to make a Reference to whome because some tyme you mencioned the two Gouemors of the Mathatusetts & Plymouth and som time the Comissioners, and what you propose to Referr, whither title to Land or other Questions and diferances, as the Governor of New Haven did som time propound (November the 16th 1647) If you please heerein to express your selfe, wee shall the better vnderstand our way and accordingly as the Case may Require further the meeteing with the first oppertunity: in the meane tyme with harts Inclined and Ingaged to all Councels treatyes and wayes of a wholesom and just peace, and wee shall propound vnto you such Conscideracions as wee suppose your selfe willjudg Eaquall, and till diferences bee isued or som speedy Cource of settlement agreed, nessesary, vidz. that the traders within any of the dutch plantacions, or vnder the dutch Gouernor whither merchants or mariners may expect noe more Liberty within any of the harbours belonging to the English Colonyes Either in poynte of anchering, Customs Searching fines Seizures etc., then the English Colonyes and theire merchants and marriners lnjoy at the Manatoes: or within your Jurisdiction, Secondly that if upon search wee finde in any of the.traders vesels, within the English Jurisdiction any quantaty of guns, powther shott, etc. fitt for that mischevous trade with the Indians and so tending to the publique damage of both the English and dutch, wee shall make stay of them untill further Inquiry: and satisfactin bee made and given. Thirdly that what Restraints, penaltyes and Confiscacions you put vpon the English Colonyes and theire merchants for tradeing with the Indians within your Jurisdictio: The same the Colonyes must put upon yours within the English Limitts: fourthly Refering what is past to the meeteing propounded if hearafter you tacke and Carry away any shipp Vessell or goods out of any harbour within the English Jurisdiction or Else wheare seize any vessell or goods Belongeing to any Marchant or marriner either English dutch or other nation admited to be planters or Inhabitants within any of the vnited Colonyes you will nesesitate us to vindicate the English Rights and to Repaire such damages, by all suitable and Just meanses. Wee shall add noe more, but to preuent mistackes, professe, and desier you will beleue that wee shall neither protect or countenance any vnrighteous course in any of ours to your prejuduce nor Impose or any way inovate Either in poynte of Customs: or in the Liberty of our harbours, or otherwise till wee doe or might vnderstand your minde and resolucion in the former particulers The vtmost of our aime being but to remoue what might hinder or slacke the peace and that neighbou[rly Corespondancie that wee disier intierly to preser. betwixt the English Colonies and the ] Dutch plantacions in these parts, but if you Refuse or delay either to retourne an answer or ] to giue meet and dew satisfaction in the promises your selfe will hinder the meeteing which wee all desi ]re from which wee doe, & hope may expect lasting fruite and will not then blame us if by all ]just means, we seasonably provide for our owne safetie and Conveniency: Thus desiering you will bee pleased with ] the first opportunitie to retoume your mynde and answere therein to mr. Eaton Governor of New hav ]en Collonie (from whom that our Counsells and Courses bee according. ordered, we] expect the issue & result of these proposalls, we take leave and rest

Your loveing Friends ]
Edw: Hopkins
Roger Ludlow
Theo: Eaton
Jo: Astwood
Will [      ]
Joh [      ]
Simon [      ]
Will: [      ]

Plimmouth the 16 of December ought to be September ] [1] 1648

Notes

This note was written in pencil on the copy.

References

A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.