the river, at the foot of the hills, and also some fine islands up to
the Cahoos; which is where the colony of Rentselaerwyck is planted.
The river begins above Fort Albany to divide itself, first by islands,
and then by the main land, into two arms or branches, one of which
turns somewhat towards the west and afterwards entirely west through
Schoonechten, towards the country of the Maquaas, and this branch, on
which the Cahoos lies, is called the Maquaas Kill. The other preserves
the course of the main river for the most part, or a little more
easterly, and retains also the name of the North River. It runs far up
into the country, and has its source in a lake 120 to 160 miles in
length,[366] out of which a stream probably empties into the St.
Lawrence, a river of Canada; for not only do the Indians, but the
French also, pass over here in canoes from Canada. We ourselves have
conversed with persons who have thus come over, some by water, and
others by land and on foot. Of the Cahoos we have already spoken, in
relating our journey there. Those falls are a great and wonderful work
of God; but although they have so much water that the wind causes the
spray and moisture to rise continually in the air, so that spectators
who stand two hundred feet or so higher are made wet, especially when
there are any gusts of wind driving from one side, as happened to us,
yet we regard the falls on the Northwest Kill [the Passaic] as more
curious, though smaller, and having less water. Even on the North
River, there are several small creeks and falls more rare to see than
the Cahoos. Beyond the Cahoos the land is not so high above the water;
and no fish pass from below into the river above, in consequence of
the interruption caused by the falls, nor can any boats be carried
over the falls, up or down, which is a great inconvenience for those
who live above the Cahoos, at Schenectady and other places, although
when the country shall become more inhabited, and they shall have more
occasion, they will take means to remedy this difficulty. Through the
whole of that extensive country they have no fish, except some small
kinds peculiar to the streams, such as trout, sunfish, roach, pike,
etc.; and this is the case in all the creeks where there are falls.
[Footnote 366: Referring, but of course mistakenly, to Lake Champlain,
or Lakes Champlain and George.]
The North River abounds with fish of all kinds, throughout from the
sea to the falls, and in the branch which runs up to the lake. To
relate a single instance: some persons near Albany caught in a single
haul of a common seine between five and six hundred fine shad, bass,
perch, and other fish, and there were, I believe, over five hundred of
one kind. It is not necessary for those who live in the city [of New
York], and other places near the sea, to go to the sea to fish, but
they can fish in the river and waters inside; or even to the Great
Bay, except such as live upon it, and they can by means of _fuycks_ or
seines not only obtain fish enough for their daily consumption, but
also to salt, dry, and smoke, for commerce, and to export by shiploads
if they wish, all kinds of them, as the people of Boston do; but the
people here have better land than they have there, where they
therefore resort more for a living to the water.
There is much beautiful quarry stone of all kinds on this river, well
adapted for building purposes and for burning lime; and as fine cedar
wood as we have seen anywhere. Nevertheless, for suitableness of
navigation, and for rich land on both sides, all the way up, the South
River excels the North; but what gives the North River the preference,
and crowns it over the South River, is its salubrious climate; though
above Christina Creek the South River is healthy, and it is every day
becoming more so, along the whole of that river. On the North River,
however, one has not to wait and die before this improvement may take
place.
As soon as we arrived in the city, we resolved upon going to Long
Island, for the purpose of taking leave according to promise of the
kind acquaintances we had living there; and therefore on the
_9th, Thursday_, we started about ten o'clock. In crossing the ferry
we met Elbert, the father-in-law of Jan Theunissen,[367] who came over
with us and professed so much friendship towards us. Elbert was going
to the city and intended to return again soon; but we thought it would
not be before evening, which would be too long to wait for him. We
therefore proceeded on to his house at the bay, where we arrived at
noon. We found there Gerrit the wheelwright;[368] and Jan Theunissen
soon came in from the fields; but as the father-[in-law] was not at
home we had to tarry, although we had intended to go to Najack. While
we were sitting there Domine Van Zueren[369] came up, to whom the
boors called out as uncivilly and rudely as if he had been a boy. He
had a chatting time with all of them. As Jan Theunissen had said to us
in the house, that if the domine only had a chance once to speak to
us, Oh, how he would talk to us! that we avoided him, and therefore
could not be very good people; now, as we were there, we sat near him
and the boors and those with whom he was conversing. He spoke to us,
but not a word of that fell from him. Indeed, he sat prating and
gossiping with the boors, who talked foully and otherwise, not only
without giving them a single word of reproof, but even without
speaking a word about God or spiritual matters. It was all about
houses, and cattle, and swine, and grain; and then he went away.
[Footnote 367: See pp. 30, 52, 59, 61, _supra_.]
[Footnote 368: Gerrit van Duyn.]
[Footnote 369: Rev. Casparus van Zuuren, of Gouda in Holland, was one
of the four Dutch Reformed ministers now remaining in New York (and
Delaware)--Schaets, Nieuwenhuisen, van Zuuren, Tesschenmaker--and was
minister of Midwout (Flatbush), Brooklyn, and Amersfoort (Flatlands),
but lived at Midwout. He came out from Holland in 1677 and returned to
a pastorate there in 1685.]
_10th, Friday._ The morning was rainy, and we could not go out early;
but the weather became better after breakfast, about nine o'clock,
when we took our leave and left for Najack, where we arrived at eleven
o'clock at Jaques's. He had been sick with a large ulcer on his neck,
but that was now better. We were welcome. Among other matters, he told
us that he had heard the report about our Theunis, but he did not know
what to believe or think of it. We told him the whole truth about it,
as he was capable of believing it, for he was at the best a Socinian.
Theunis had formerly lived in that neighborhood[370] and Jaques at
that time missed a cow which was pasturing in the woods with the other
cattle, as they always do. They made a thorough search after her, but
could not find her. Although Jaques had some suspicion of Theunis, he
did not manifest it even to those who spoke to him about Theunis in
connection with the subject. It happened that Theunis came to Jaques's
house, when Jaques embraced the opportunity, and took him on the shore
near his house. After talking of various matters, Jaques spoke to him
about his cow, how she was carried off, and they never could hear
anything about her. He then began to push Theunis a little closer, who
laughed at it heartily at first; but by hard pressing and proofs which
Jaques gradually brought forward, and especially by appeals to his
conscience, whether he had not the fear of God before his eyes,
Theunis acknowledged he had done it, and falling on his knees prayed
for forgiveness. He had stolen the cow and killed her. Jaques, who is
one of the justices, said, "I forgive you from the bottom of my heart,
but I do this only to cause you to reflect and desist from your
wickedness, and to show you that you do not know or fear God, and that
you may fear Him more." Whereupon Theunis was much affected, and went
away entirely subdued, while Jaques was rejoiced that he had had the
opportunity of relieving his mind about Theunis. Jaques, who had known
him from his youth up, said he had been a very godless person, cursing
and swearing and, in a word, living in direct hostility to God. We
told Jaques that better things were now to be expected from him, at
which Jaques was pleased.
[Footnote 370: In 1664 Jacob Hellekers and Theunis Idensen both lived
in New Utrecht. _N.Y. Col. Doc._, II. 481. Jaques is Jacques
Cortelyou. Socinian means a Unitarian, a follower of Faustus Socinus.]
We dined with Jaques; and his little son came and presented us a
humming-bird he had shot. Jaques impressed us very much with his
sincerity and cordiality in everything we had to do with him, or
wherein he could be of any service to us. We left with him the little
book which we had lent to him, and which he said he had found much
pleasure in reading, _Les Pensees de M. Pascal_. We took our leave of
him, and went directly through the fields to Gouanes, where we arrived
at two o'clock. Simon[371] and his wife were out upon some newly
cleared land planting water-melons; for water-melons must always have
new ground, or the worms will destroy them. They went into the house
with us. They also spoke about Theunis, and we disabused them of
several things. They showed us some pieces of ambergris, which their
brother had brought from the Caribbean Islands, and which we thought
was good. We said to them what we deemed proper for them, and took our
leave, reaching the city in good time.
[Footnote 371: Simon Aertsen de Hart.]
De la Grange and his wife arrived this evening from the South River by
land, leaving their nephew behind, who had made arrangements to come
over with Ephraim in eight days. Meanwhile we made inquiries about
going to Boston, and they informed us that a vessel had sailed during
our absence, but we were not ready, and there would be another one
going in eight or ten days.
_11th, Saturday._ We finished with our tailor, and paid him 77
guilders in _zeewan_, that is, 25 guilders and 8 stivers in Holland
money.[372]
[Footnote 372: About ten dollars.]
_13th, Monday._ We settled with our old hosts and paid them. We
continued our inquiries for an opportunity to leave, but without
success.
_15th, Wednesday._ As we were crossing the street, the lord governor,
passing by, saw us and called to us. We went him, and he asked us what
we thought of the lands around Albany. We answered, they were very
good, but limited, being flats here and there, and that the woodland,
in particular, was not worth much. "But," he said, "you have not been
to Wappings Kill."[373] We replied, that we had not. "That is," he
rejoined, "a beautiful place, about three-quarters of an hour inland,
on a fine creek which you can navigate with yachts, and it lies just
through the Highlands, directly opposite the Dans Kamer." And with
that he left us.
[Footnote 373: Wappinger's Creek, in Dutchess County.]
_16th, Thursday._ As there was still a portion of our small stock of
goods remaining, we traded it with De la Grange, who expected his boat
from the South River with peltries and other articles, with which he
would pay us.
_17th, Friday._ The boat which they had said would sail to-morrow, was
posted to sail next Wednesday; but we think it will be postponed still
longer.
_18th, Saturday._ We prepared our letters for _Patria_.
_19th, Sunday._ A ship arrived from Barbados. One had also arrived
last week from London, which had been six weeks and three days on the
voyage; but we did not receive any letters, nor did De la Grange, and
we could learn nothing certain.
Meanwhile we conversed with several persons who came to visit us,
among others with a woman who had undergone, several years ago, some
remarkable experiences; of a light shining upon her while she was
reading in the New Testament about the sufferings of the Lord Jesus,
which frightened her very much. It did not continue long but soon
passed off; yet it left, nevertheless, such a joy and testimony in her
heart as she could not describe. She kept it to herself, without
making it known to any one except only one woman. Some years
afterwards, while lying abed in the morning, she heard a voice which
said to her, she must make this glory known, which she did do to
Domine Nieuwenhuise, who told her he did not know what to say. She had
also mentioned it to others, and to one man who played the part of a
wise man, but who was not a good man. He said to her, "You must not go
any more to church, for you are wise enough, and will become still
wiser. You must not go to the Lord's Supper, for the Lord has said,
'do that until I come,'" and many other such things, in order to
frighten the poor woman. He once came to her house and asked her very
harshly and roughly, why she continued to do so, and in whose hands
she would rather fall, into the hands of God, or the hands of men? She
said, poor woman, in the words of David, "Rather in God's hands." "And
I not," said he; "I would rather fall in the hands of men," and then
went away. This has so sorely disturbed this poor woman that for a
long time she has not known what to do; for not to go to church, and
to leave the Lord's Supper, she could not in her heart consent. We
told her that as regards what had happened to her, many things had
occurred to us, and further, what was serviceable therein, without
however condemning them in her; but that the person who had so spoken
to her was a false teacher, and she must be cautious of him; that for
herself in all these and the like matters she must seek for true
grace, for a new heart and power unto true repentance of life, and for
true humility of soul and renunciation of herself and the world. And
thereupon she left. Her name was Marie. She was a Frenchwoman; and her
husband, a Frenchman, who had also been to us twice. He was the son of
Pierre Jardinier of whom we have before spoken.[374] He had a book
with the title of _Le Grand Heraut_, etc., which he highly esteemed;
but he was a real reformed, of France, as they said. The other person,
who played the wise man, was also a Frenchman. His name was Nicolas de
la Pleyne, a relation of hers and professed to be of the
reformed.[375] He had not for a long time been to the Lord's Supper,
but had now gone to it again. He was a tobacco twister by trade.
[Footnote 374: For Pierre the Gardener, Pierre Cresson, see p. 74. The
son referred to was Jacques Cresson, who became a Labadist, and died
in 1684. His wife was Marie Renard. His book was Labadie's _Le Heraut
du Grand Roi Jesus_ (Amsterdam, 1667). After his death his widow went
to Curacao, returned, but removed to Philadelphia, and died there in
1710. The two were among the first members of the Dutch church at
Harlem.]
[Footnote 375: Nicolas de la Pleine, of "Bersweer in France," was
married in 1658 to Susanna Cresson, native of Ryswyk in Holland,
sister of Jacques Cresson. He was constable in 1685.]
We wrote up the river to Robert Sanders of Albany, and to the poor
sick man at the Hysopus, sending him a _vomitorium_ by Meus Hoogboom.
We also went to see the Boston skipper, but he had not obtained any
freight.
_22nd, Wednesday._ Mr. Reinderman arrived overland from the South
River, leaving Ephraim still there. He started the same day that De la
Grange left there, but was not able to overtake him. He had been all
this time on the road, and had had a difficult journey, in consequence
of there being so much water upon the land.
_23d, Thursday._ We went again to inquire after our boat, and found
that the time was changed for the voyage, which made it a great
inconvenience to us to be here so long, without being able to
accomplish anything. But some other Boston vessels had arrived, which,
they said, would return the first opportunity.
_24th, Friday._ Ephraim arrived from the South River at noon to-day,
with his wife, and her sister's mother,[376] and other company,
overland.
[Footnote 376: Apparently this means the mother of Susanna Huyberts,
wife of Casparus Heerman. See p. 130, note 1.]
_25th, Saturday._ We went this forenoon to welcome him. He was still
very much attached to us, and so was his wife, and both were persuaded
and touched with the love which we had shown them, and the wife
particularly, for the favor I had granted her, in sending her the
translation of the _Verheffinge des Geestes_, in reading which she had
experienced great enjoyment, and had been sometimes tenderly affected.
She thanked us for the little parcel of braided goods we had sent her,
which had been very agreeable to her. He promised moreover, if it
should please God to call us again into this country to live and to
establish His beloved church, we need not be at a loss to find a
place; that the land which belonged to him, namely, Bohemia in
Maryland, where his father lived, and of which we have before spoken,
should with his consent be applied to no other purpose; that it should
never go into English hands, hoping that God would give him this
grace.[377] He had brought with him a piece of spermaceti, a portion
of which he presented to us. He told us of the disposition of the
heart of the Heer Jan Moll towards us, who showed us so much
friendship, as we have before related, and will show us all possible
kindness in the future; that he had taken well to heart what we had
commended to him, and had even reformed several matters in his
household, and otherwise; and how it grieved him that Domine
Tessemaker had not grace or ability enough to accomplish anything
serious in the congregation there, of which he was the elder, as well
as president of the king's court. His wife was so far gone in
consumption, that they saw no hope of her recovery.
[Footnote 377: See p. 141, note 2, _supra_.]
_26th, Sunday._ Domine Niewenhuyse being sick, there was no preaching
yet to-day.
_27th, Monday._ We went to call upon Ephraim again, in order to speak
to him particularly, but did not succeed in consequence of his being
visited so much, the more so because his wife's sister was soon to be
married.[378]
[Footnote 378: According to the records of the Dutch Reformed Church
in New York, Elizabeth's half-sister, Helena van Brugh, was married
the day before this, May 26.]
_28th, Tuesday._ The supercargo of the last arrived Boston vessel,
named Padechal,[379] was at M. van Clief's, who spoke to him about our
wishes, and he promised to give us every attention and accommodation,
and that he would leave in the coming week. This inspired us with new
hope of getting away finally after so much delay.
[Footnote 379: Richard Pattishall of Boston. He was killed by the
Indians at Pemaquid in 1692.]
_29th, Wednesday._ The before mentioned Boston trader came to speak
with us himself, at the house of M. van Cleif. We talked with him, and
he promised us every thing fair. The fare from New York to Boston is
twenty shillings in English money for each person, which with the loss
of exchange is a pound sterling in the money of Old England, which
certainly is dear enough.
_30th, Thursday._ It was now Ascension Day, according to the old
style,[380] a day greatly observed by the English. It reminded us of
the day we left home on our travels, which was Ascension Day, old
style. We wrote to-day to Robert Sanders at Albany, in order that, as
we were so long in New York contrary to our intentions, he might
regulate himself in the matter of our poor Wouter, the Indian, who,
according to our mutual understanding, was to go to Boston by land,
with an address from Mr. Robert Sanders, to one John Pisgeon,
merchant, of that city,[381] so that we might find him, or he us, in
order to go to Europe with us, which he so earnestly desired, and we
endeavored with our whole heart to effect; and as this could not well
be done by the way of York, on account of the governor and other
hindrances, we had chosen that way, as it seemed to us the best.
[Footnote 380: But it was also Ascension Day of the new style.]
[Footnote 381: I do not know who this could be if it were not John
Pynchon of Springfield, assistant and councillor of Massachusetts
1665-1703. He owned much property in Boston and was often there; his
large possessions in western Massachusetts and his position as the
chief trader at Springfield would make it natural to use him in the
way described; and in 1677 he had, at Albany, taken part, as
representative of his colony, in Governor Andros's negotiations with
the Mohawks.]
M. de la Grange came with his wife to invite me to accompany them in
their boat to the Wale Bocht,[382] a place situated on Long Island,
almost an hour's distance below the city, directly opposite Correlaers
Hoeck, from whence I had several times observed the place, which
appeared to me very pleasant, although I had never been there. He had
an old aunt and other friends living there. We set off accordingly in
the boat, but the strong flood tide carried us beyond the bay, to a
place called the Burnt Mill, where we could let the tide run out.
Meanwhile we fished a little, but we caught nothing except a small
codfish. From there we landed on the Mahatans, a little north of the
Burnt Mill, on a beautiful farm, having two fine ponds of water before
the door, where a mill was standing. These ponds were full of sunfish,
and other fish, some of which we caught. The flood having run out at
noon, we left there and arrived about two o'clock at the Wale Bocht.
This is a bay tolerably wide where the water rises and falls much, and
at low water is very shallow and much of it dry. Inside of the
easterly point there was a ship aground, which had struck on the reef
of rocks which put out from Corlaer's Hook towards this bay, and had
floated over here and sunk. She was a French privateer, which had
taken some rich Dutch prizes in the bay of Campeachy and was going
through here to New England, in order to dispose of the goods which
would not bring money enough in New York. There were many goods still
in the sunken ship, and they have tried several times to raise her,
but to no purpose. We went ashore here, and observed several kinds of
fish, which I had not seen before in this country, such as flounders,
plaice, sole, etc. This aunt of de La Grange is an old Walloon woman
from Valenciennes, seventy-four years old. She is worldly-minded, with
_mere bonte_,[383] living with her whole heart, as well as body, among
her progeny, which now number 145, and will soon reach 150.
Nevertheless she lived alone by herself, a little apart from the
others, having her little garden, and other conveniences, with which
she helped herself.[384] The ebb tide left our boat aground, and we
were compelled to wait for the flood to set her afloat. De la Grange
having to train next week with all the rest of the people, at New
York, bespoke here a man to go as his substitute. The flood tide
having made, we arrived home by evening.
[Footnote 382: The Walebocht, or bay of the Walloons, was a bight in
the Long Island shore, where the Brooklyn Navy Yard now stands. It was
so named from a group of Walloons who settled there at an early date.
The modern form of the name is Wallabout.]
[Footnote 383: Meaning, apparently, "with mere human goodness."]
[Footnote 384: This old woman was Catalina Trico (1605-1689), widow of
Joris Jansen Rapalie. She was the mother of eleven children, of whom
the eldest, Sara, born in 1625 at Fort Orange, is understood to have
been "the first born Christian daughter in New Netherland," Jean Vigne
(see p. 47, note 2) being the first-born child. Two depositions by her
of 1685 and 1688, printed in _Doc. Hist. N.Y._, III. 31-32, quarto
ed., give interesting details of the beginnings of the colony, for she
came out "in 1623" (1624, rather) in the _Eendracht_ (Unity), the
first ship sent out to New Netherland by the Dutch West India Company.
After three years at Fort Orange and twenty-two at New Amsterdam, she
and her husband settled at the Walebocht. In the second deposition she
speaks of herself as born in Paris, not Valenciennes. How she was aunt
of de la Grange I do not know. He was the son of Joost de la Grange
and Margaret his wife, afterward the wife of Andrew Carr. His wife was
Cornelia de la Fontaine. Joining the Labadists in their purchase, he
was naturalized by the Maryland assembly in 1684, and in 1692 was
understood to be living in their community at Bohemia Manor. _Maryland
Archives_, XIII. 126, XX. 163.]
_31st, Friday._ We sold to the wife of Evert, the late mate of our
ship, a small looking-glass, a steel thimble, a pound and a half of
white darning yarn, and half a pound of brown thread, for which she
gave us a piece of eight.[385]
[Footnote 385: A dollar, piece of eight reals.]
JUNE _1st, Saturday._ Nothing transpired to-day, except that several
persons came to converse with us, to each of whom we spoke according
to his state.[386]
[Footnote 386: It was believed by the local ministers that Danckaerts
and Sluyter while in New York engaged actively in proselytizing. Thus,
Rev. Henricus Selyns, Domine Niewenhuisen's successor, says in a
letter to Rev. Willem a Brakel, "They regularly attended church and
said they had nothing against my doctrines; that they were of the
Reformed Church, and stood by the Heidelberg Catechism and Dordrecht
Confession.... Afterwards, in order to lay the groundwork for a
schism, they began holding meetings with closed doors, and to rail out
against the church and consistory, as Sodom and Egypt, and saying they
must separate from the church; they could not come to the service, or
hold communion with us. They thus absented themselves from the
church." Murphy, _New Netherland Anthology_, pp. 95, 96.]
_2d, Sunday._ There was no preaching in consequence of Domine
Niewenhuise's continued sickness. Ephraim and his wife, among others,
called upon us, and we had several conversations with them, and
satisfied them in regard to our departure.
_3d, Monday._ We went to inquire whether our voyage would take place,
as they said, on Wednesday. They now fixed the last of the week, which
did not please us a great deal, because there was so much fine weather
passing away without our being able to do anything; and also because
we discovered that we could depend as little upon the word of the
people of New England as of others, although they wished to pass for
more upright persons, which we have not been able to perceive.