uitfulness of the country, if
protection were secured within the already established boundaries. It
would all, with God's assistance, then, according to human judgment, go
well, and New Netherland would in a few years be a worthy place and be
able to do service to the Netherland nation, to repay richly the cost,
and to thank its benefactors.

(1) Reverend Johannes Backerus.

High Mighty Lords! We have had the boldness to write this remonstrance,
and to represent matters as we have done from love of the truth, and
because we felt ourselves obliged to do so by our oath and conscience.
It is true that we have not all of us at one time or together seen,
heard and met with every detail of its entire contents. Nevertheless
there is nothing in it but what is well known by some of us to be true
and certain;--the most is known by all of us to be true. We hope Their
High Mightinesses will pardon our presumption and be charitable with
our plainness of style, composition and method. In conclusion we commit
Their High Mightinesses, their persons, deliberations and measures and
their people, at home and abroad, together with all the friends of New
Netherland, to the merciful guidance and protection of the Most High,
whom we supplicate for Their High Mightinesses' present and eternal
welfare. Amen.

Done this 28th of July in New Netherland, subscribed, "ADRIAEN
VANDER DONCK, AUGUSTIJN HERMANSZ, ARNOLDUS VAN HARDENBERGH, JACOB
VAN COUWENHOVEN, OLOFF STEVENSZ" (by whose name was written "Under
protest--obliged to sign about the government of the Heer Kieft"),
"MICHIEL JANSZ, THOMAS HAL, ELBERT ELBERTSZ, GOVERT LOKERMANS, HENDRICK
HENDRICKSZ KIP and JAN EVERTSBOUT." Below was written, "After collation
with the original remonstrance, dated and subscribed as above, with
which these are found to correspond, at the Hague, the 13th October,
1649, by me;" and was subscribed,

"D. v. SCHELLUYNEN, Notary Public."

ANSWER TO THE REPRESENTATION OF NEW NETHERLAND, 1650

Reference material and sources.

Cornelius Van Tienhoven, Answer to The Representation of New
Netherland, 1650. In J. Franklin Jameson, ed., Narratives
of New Netherland, 1609-1664 (Original Narratives of Early
American History). NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909.

INTRODUCTION

The origin and value of the following document have been sufficiently
described in the introduction to that which precedes. Cornelis van
Tienhoven, s