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Letter from Jacob Alrichs to director Stuyvesant

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Noble, Honorable, Esteemed, Wise and very Prudent Lord:

Your letter dated 15 July of this month has been duly received, from which I learn by way of reply what you and the council think of the rumors and claims of the English in Virginia concerning their alleged ownership of these places.[1] It is the consideration of this South River that their arrival will cause at least curiosity and commotion. It is thought certain that they will come. Since my last letter to you, it has been decided here to have one of our schepens send a written request to the governor of Maryland for the return of apprehension of some runaway soldiers or fugitives. But since the aforesaid governor's name and place of residence is unknown to us, we decided to deliver the letter to Colonel Jud[2] who lives on Beeren Island; and since he is the [      ] among the twelve councilors there, we requested that the aforesaid letter with his recommendation be delivered to its address. This was agreed to, but during the conversation he declared that he had in his house the commission[3] to come here, because new recommendations and orders had come on behalf of Lord Balthus Moor[4] that the lands from such a degree to such a degree belonged to him and should be visited, and according to circumstances should be brought and maintained under his jurisdiction, without the least desire to spare a [      ] of it...

[  Remaining five lines of page defective.  ]

...to await [      ] of the English, time will tell. We shall certainly be at a disadvantage if they come with some force that cannot be resisted by this river or place. Therefore, be pleased to consider such means and orders which shall be deemed appropriate and necessary for the sake of the Company and this state. I herewith pray that God may keep you, the Noble, Honorable, Esteemed, Wise and very Prudent Lord, and your family in continued prosperity and health.

J. Alrichs

[ Addressed: ]

Noble, Honorable, Esteemed, Wise and very Prudent Lord, the Director-General Petrus Stuyvesant, General over New Netherland, Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba, etc. Residing in Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland

[ By an Indian. ]

Notes

Alrichs uses the plural here to indicate both the City's colony of New Amstel and the WIC's territory north of Christina Creek.

Nathaniel Utie.

See MA, 3:365 for this commission.

Lord Baltimore. The orders to Utie would have come from Josias Fendall, governor of Maryland from 1656 to 1660.

References

Translation: Gehring, C. trans./ed., New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vols. 18-19, Delaware Papers: Dutch Period, 1648-1664 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1981).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.