Narrative of New Netherland | Page 6

year, if the Lord permit, to let one of
them retire, and to choose another in his place from a double number
first lawfully proposed to the congregation. One of those whom we
have now chosen is the Honorable Director<2> himself, and the other
is the storekeeper of the Company, Jan Huygen,<3> his brother-in-law,
persons of very good character, as far as I have been able to learn,
having both been formerly in office in the Church, the one as deacon,
and the other as elder in the Dutch and French churches, respectively,
at Wesel.<4>
<1> Sebastian Janszoon Krol came out to New Netherland in 1626 as a
"comforter of the sick" at Manhattan, but before long went up to Fort
Orange, where he was chief agent for the company most of the time to
March, 1632. Then, on Minuit's recall, he was director-general till
Wouter van Twiller's arrival in April, 1633. <2> Peter Minuit, born of
Huguenot parentage in 1550 in Wesel, west Germany, was made
director general of New Netherland in December, 1625, arrived in May,
1626, bought Manhattan Island of the Indians that summer, and
remained in office till recalled early in 1632. In 1636-1637 he made
arrangements with Blommaert and the Swedish government, in
consequence of which he conducted the first Swedish colony to
Delaware Bay, landing there in the spring of 1638, and establishing
New Sweden on territory claimed by the Dutch. During the ensuing
summer he perished in a hurricane at St. Christopher, in the West
Indies. <3> Probably the ame as Jan Huych, comforter of the sick. <4>
Jan Huyghens was deacon of the Dutch Reformed church at Wesel in
1612; and probably Minuit was elder in the French church there.
At the first administration of the Lord's Supper which was observed,
not without great joy and comfort to many, we had fully fifty
communicants--Walloons and Dutch; of whom, a portion made their
first confession of faith before us, and others exhibited their church
certificates. Others had forgotten to bring their certificates with them,

not thinking that a church would be formed and established here; and
some who brought them, had lost them unfortunately in a general
conflagration, but they were admitted upon the satisfactory testimony
of others to whom they were known, and also upon their daily good
deportment, since one cannot observe strictly all the usual formalities
in making a beginning under such circumstance.
We administer the Holy Supper of the Lord once in four months,
provisionally, until a larger number of people shall otherwise require.
The Walloons and French have no service on Sundays, otherwise than
in the Dutch language, for those who understand no Dutch are very few.
A portion of the Walloons are going back to the Fatherland, either
because their years here are expired, or else because some are not very
serviceable to the Company. Some of them live far away and could not
well come in time of heavy rain and storm, so that they themselves
cannot think it advisable to appoint any special service in French for so
small a number, and that upon an uncertainty. Nevertheless, the Lord's
Supper is administered to them in the French language, and according
to the French mode, with a sermon preceding, which I have before me
in writing, so long as I can not trust myself extemporaneously.<1> If in
this and in other matters your Reverence and the Reverend Brethren of
the Consistory, who have special superintendence over us here, deem it
necessary to administer to us any correction, instruction or good advice,
it will be agreeable to us and we shall thank your Reverence therefor;
since we must all have no other object than the glory of God in the
building up of his kingdom and the salvation of many souls. I keep
myself as far as practicable within the pale of my calling, wherein I
find myself sufficiently occupied. And although our small consistory
embraces at the most--when Brother Crol is down here--not more than
four persons, all of whom, myself alone excepted, have also public
business to attend to, I still hope to separate carefully the ecclesiastical
from the civil matters which occur, so that each one will be occupied
with his own subject.
<1> That is, to preach extempore in French.
And though many things are mixti generis, and political and
ecclesiastical persons can greatly assist each other, nevertheless the
matters and officers proceeding together must not be mixed but kept
separate, in order to prevent all confusion and disorder. As the Council

of this place consists of good people, who are, however, for the most
part simple and have little experience in public affairs, I should have
little objection to serve them in any difficult or dubious affair with
good advice, provided I considered myself