about it. After the year and a day had passed by, we have, as
representatives of the commonalty, and upon his request, legally
solicited, as his sureties were troubling him, that the suit should be
tried, so that he might be punished according to his deserts if he were
guilty, and if not, that he might be discharged. But there was nothing
gained by our interposition, as we were answered with reproachful
language, and the fiscaal was permitted to rattle out anything that came
in his mouth, and the man was rendered odious beyond all precedent, and
abused before all as a foul monster. Asked he anything, even if it were
all right, he received angry and abusive language, his request was not
complied with, and justice was denied him. These things produce great
dissatisfaction, and lead some to meditate leaving the country. It
happened better with one Pieter vander Linden, as he was not imprisoned.
There are many others, for the most of them are disturbed and would
speak if they durst. Now the Company itself carries on the forbidden
trade, the people think that they too can do so without guilt, if they
can do so without damage; and this causes smuggling and frauds to an
incredible extent, though not so great this year as heretofore. The
publishing of a placard that those who were guilty, whether civilly or
criminally, in New England, might have passport and protection here, has
very much embittered the minds of the English, and has been considered
by every one fraught with bad consequences. Great distrust has also been
created among the inhabitants on account of Heer Stuyvesant being so
ready to confiscate. There scarcely comes a ship in or near here, which,
if it do not belong to friends, is not regarded as a prize by him.
Though little comes of it, great claims are made to come from these
matters, about which we will not dispute; but confiscating has come to
such repute in New Netherland, that nobody anywise conspicuous considers
his property to be really safe. It were well if the report of this thing
were confined to this country; but it has spread among the neighboring
English--north and south--and in the West Indies and Caribbee Islands.
Everywhere there, the report is so bad, that not a ship dare come hither
from those places; and good credible people who come from thence, by the
way of Boston, and others here trading at Boston, assure us that more
than twenty-five ships would come here from those islands every year if
th