liquors
and arms to the Indians. He soon taught the Indians to respect and fear
him; but at the same time they learned to admire his honesty
and courage.

By prudent and adroit management, Stuyvesant swept away many annoyances
in the shape of territorial claims. When the Plymouth Company assigned
their American domain to twelve persons, they conveyed to Lord Stirling,
the proprietor of Nova Scotia, a part of New England and an island
adjacent to Long Island. Stirling tried to take possession of Long
Island, but failed. At his death, in 1647, his widow sent a Scotchman to
assert the claim and act as governor. He proclaimed himself as such, but
was promptly arrested by Stuyvesant and put on board a ship bound for
Holland. The vessel touched at an English port, where the "governor"
escaped, and no further trouble with the family of Lord Stirling ensued.

Stuyvesant went to Hartford and settled by treaty all disputes with the
New Englanders which had annoyed his predecessors. Then he turned his
attention to the suppression of the expanding power and influence of the
Swedes on the Delaware. The accession of a new queen to the throne of
Sweden made it necessary to make a satisfactory adjustment of the
long-pending dispute about the territory. Stuyvesant was instructed to
act firmly but discreetly. Accompanied by his suite of officers, he went
to Fort Nassau on the New Jersey side of the Delaware, whence he sent
Printz, the governor of New Sweden, an abstract of the title of the
Dutch to the domain and called a council of the Indian chiefs in the
neighborhood. These chiefs declared the Swedes to be usurpers and by
solemn treaty gave all the land to the Dutch. Then Stuyvesant crossed
over and, near the site of New Castle in Delaware, built a fort, which
he called Fort Cassimer. Governor Printz protested in vain. The two
magistrates held friendly personal intercourse, and they mutually
promised to "keep neighborly friendship and correspondence together."
This strange friendly conquest was in the year 1651. The following year
an important concession was made to the inhabitants of New Amsterdam. A
constant war was waged between Stuyvesant and the representatives of the
people called the "Nine." The governor tried to repress the spirit of
popular freedom; the Nine fostered it. They wanted a municipal
government for their growing capital and, fearing the governor, made a
direct application to the states-general for the privilege.