The Story of Manhattan | Page 5

for the Company. Rude houses were
set up about the fort, and the first street came into existence. This is
now called Pearl Street.
Cornelius Jacobsen May cared for the colony for less than a year, when
his place was taken by William Verhulst. Before the year was out,
Verhulst decided that the new country never would suit him, and he
sailed away to Holland. Then came in his place, in the year 1626, Peter
Minuit, under appointment as the first Dutch Governor of New
Netherland.

[Illustration: Seal of New Netherland.]
CHAPTER III
PETER MINUIT, FIRST of the DUTCH GOVERNORS
Peter Minuit was a large man, of middle age, whose hair was turning
gray, whose eyes were black and dull, and whose manners were quite
coarse.
The West India Company gave to this Governor absolute power over
all the Dutch lands in America. His power was equal to that of a king;
much more than some kings have had. To be sure, in matters of
extreme importance he was supposed to refer to the Company in
Holland. But Holland was far away, farther away than it is in these days
of fast steamers and the telegraph, and the Company had too many
other matters to look after to give much thought to New Netherland.
One of the first acts of Governor Minuit was to buy the Island of
Manhattan from the Indians, giving them in exchange some beads,
some brass ornaments, some bits of glass and some strips of colored
cloth; all of which seemed a rich treasure to the Indians, but were in
reality worth just twenty-four dollars.
As soon as Minuit had bought the island, he organized a government.
In authority next to the Governor was the koopman, who was secretary
of the province, and bookkeeper at the Company's warehouse, and who
worked very hard. Then came the schout-fiscal, who worked still
harder, being half sheriff, half attorney-general, and all customs officer.
There was also a council of five men who looked wise but had very
little to say and did not dare to disagree with the Governor.
Although in buying their land Governor Minuit had made the Indians
his friends, he took care to be prepared in case they should change their
minds and become warlike. He had Kryn Frederick, the Company's
engineer, build a solid fort on the spot where the fur-traders' stockade
had stood. This he called Fort Amsterdam. It was surrounded by cedar
palisades, and was large enough to shelter all the people of the little

colony in case of danger. Inside this fort there was a house for the
Governor, and outside the walls was a warehouse for furs, and a mill
which was run by horse-power, with a large room on the second floor
to be used as a church.
[Illustration: The Building of the Palisades.]
When Minuit had become fairly settled in his new colony, he divided
the lower part of the island into farms, which in those days were called
"bouweries." A road which led through these farms was named
Bouwerie Lane, and the same road is to-day known as The Bowery.
Minuit had been Governor four years, and there were 200 persons on
the island, when the Dutch West India Company, deciding that the
colony was not increasing fast enough, made a plan for giving large
tracts of land to any man who would go from Holland and take with
him fifty persons to make their homes in New Netherland. The grants
of land, which were really large farms, stretched away in all directions
over the territory of New Netherland. But no grant was made on the
Island of Manhattan, as the Company reserved that for itself. Each of
these farms was called a manor. The man who brought colonists from
Holland was called a patroon. He was the Lord of the Manor.
He had supreme authority over his colonists, who cleared the land of
the trees, planted seeds, gathered the ripened grain, and raised cattle
which they gave to the Lord of the Manor as rent.
The little town of New Amsterdam was to continue as the seat of
government, and the Lords of the Manors were to act under the
direction of the Governor. The farms established by these patroons
were to belong to them and to their families after them.
The one thing that the patroons were not permitted to do was to collect
the furs of animals, for these were very valuable and the Company
claimed them all.
Before many years had passed there was much trouble with these
patroons, who did a great deal to make themselves rich, and very little

for New Netherland. They traded in furs, notwithstanding they were
forbidden to do so, and did all manner of things they should not have
done.
Governor