Research

Series:

Scanned Document:

Reasons which induced us to order all the inhabitants of the district of New Castle to help construct both of the outer-dikes.^[1]

First: In order to obey the Hon. Lord General's order to make roads from village to village where no wagon or cart road can be made unless all the aforesaid outer-dikes and sluices be made in order to stop the water.^[2]

2nd: There are few here who have the knowledge for such work, especially among those living in New Castle, and they had to pay the laborers a daily salary of 30 or 40 guilders for their work so that those who wanted to work gained much by it, and no one lost more than 5 or 6 hours' time on the city's dike and 3 or 4 hours' time on Mr. Hans Block's dike.

3rd: All inhabitants, country-people and strangers would have to go 5 or 6 English miles through the woods in order to go as far as Zwaenwyck^[3] which is now not more than one English mile away since Mr. Hans Block's dike has been built. Even if the dike had not been built he still could have made his hay as is done in other marshes which have no dikes around them; nevertheless Mr. Block assumed the expences of 16 parts for the construction of his dike, excluding 1/4 part of the same dike which had already been built, and he also assumed the expences of building the sluices and all the appurtenances thereto, so that the mutineers had not the slightest reason or cause to question it or excuse for their absurd and foul behavior.

4th: There were severall private persons who offered Mr. Block to work a day or more on the dike which runs in front of his marsh because they did not want to go through the mire where various people have now and then experienced peril and danger; so that the community in general is not at fault as much as the ringleaders of the mutiny.

5th: In case of war with the Indians or other enemies, especially in the winter when one is unable to travel by water, it would be very dangerous to go 5 or 6 English miles through the woods to assist our nearest neighbors, or they us; besides, we daily require one another's assistance in various necessary matters.

We request the Hon. Lord General earnestly to consider the aforementioned, referring ourselves to his Honor's sound judgment, and to decide whether we have given the community the least lawful cause to resist our order and to mutiny.

[ Endorsed: ] No. 11 The magistrates of Delawares reasons about the repairing or mending the Dyke in Dutch.
1675

Notes

References

Translation: Gehring, C. trans./ed., New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vols. 20-21, Delaware Papers: English Period, 1664-1682 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1981).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.