office, and
allowed him to do so much, that all things go according to his wishes,
more than if he were President. Yea, he also says that he is well
contented to have him in his service, but that stone does not yet rest.
We firmly believe that he misleads him in many things, so that he does
many bad things which he otherwise would not do; in a word, that he is
an indirect cause of his ruin and dislike in the country. But it seems
that the Director can or will not see it; for when it was represented to
him by some persons he gave it no consideration. It has been contrived
to disguise and manage matters so, that in the Fatherland, where the
truth can be freely spoken, nobody would be able to molest him in order
to discover the truth. We do not attempt it. Having established the
powers of the Council, it is easy to understand that the right people
clung by each other, in order to maintain the imaginary sovereignty and
to give a gloss to the whole business. Nine men were chosen to represent
the whole commonalty, and commissions and instructions were given
that whatever these men should do, should be the act of the whole
commonalty.(6) And so in fact it was, as long as it corresponded with
the wishes and views of the Director. In such cases they represented
the whole commonalty; but when it did not so correspond, they were then
clowns, usurers, rebels and the like. But to understand this properly it
will be best briefly to state all things chronologically, as they have
happened during his administration, and in what manner those who have
sought the good of the country have been treated with injustice.

(1) Lubbertus van Dincklagen, doctor of laws, was sent out
as schout-fiscaal of New Netherland in 1634, quarrelled with
Van Twiller, and was sent back by him in 1636. In 1644 he
was Provisionally appointed as Kieft's successor, but
Stuyvesant was finally made Director, and Van Dincklagen
went out with him as vice-director and second member of the
Council. He opposed some of Stuyvesant's arbitrary acts,
supplied the three bearers of this _Representation_ with
letters of credence to the States General, was expelled from
the Council by Stuyvesant in 1651, and died in 1657 or 1658.

(2) An Englishman who had served under the company several
years at Curacao.

(3) Ielmer (said to =Ethelmar) Tomassen was skipper of the
Great Gerrit in 1647, when Stuyvesant m