The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-20


-. ..
pieces OF araliefy. nut no a.cn " -. W
tected the spproaohes' WINE n,,s 70 u 40 .v 80
and west commanded the interiof o. He WV
tress AT pistoi-enot distsnce'
1t 10 noteworthy that stuyvesens is,u .ne 70
foundaaon OF what mas since pecome one "
tne great staples Oh Americah usue ., n"usu I:
the export Oh gram. Cpo ms u%e ,no.o :, ua Jay
been tonaeney 70 neeiect .ne p,an''rs " y. ~
rests 10 tssor VI sopHcco e.'a,s'Ion' Nv "ne
Quality OF new Se.herieno tooaGco' w", s ~
nrss was nikn, seems 70 neye isnen on ~. :.
Io4D tne duty on ~ was feduoso 70 tnns ps'u
on the poorest west AndiAn ieeL ana tnree
years iaser the auty was soohsned. etuyvesau'
also snoeayoren 70 give qennne values 70 tne
wampum currency WHOM had LOT some un
been the principal circulating medium IN ,ne
province sapsequently no made beaver skins
amed,um OF e1cnange' ORDERING ihem 70 DO
received for duties nj eient horins apiece.
Inc most intereetinR incident however, IN
stuyvesants administration was MS pc
stowsi OF semolance OF repfssehtauve
government on the village Of New Am
sheridan. Fndine the people unwiNhns
70 % taxed withont tneir own consent, ne au-
thorfSed tho inhaoitante 70 nominate eigneeen
honese and Respectable persons nom wnom
might be selected nine triounes 70 confer WIN
the director oil MS Council ~ 10 uue thss
owing partly TO Ssuyvesants arbitrary temper
ana partly 70 the tendency Of the towns rep
resentAttve TO encroach on his rrerogativce, .
bitter Quarrel arose. resulting In An appeal 70
the states.oensrai and recall OF btuyvsssnt
for MS defence-a recall wnich ne re-
fused 20 answer IN person. sending an attor.
ney In his stead. In this position stuyvssant
was sustained BY the West India Company.
The nnai outcome Of tue CONTROVERSY
was that btuyvesant was retained In
ofioe. but tho citizens obtained tho privi-
lese OF eleottng MAGISTRATES 40 nearly
- possible according to the custom OF Am
sterdAm." which was ruled BY BODY com.
posed OF Sheriff. two BurgomAsters, and
Ave Aldermen. The functions OF tho new
magistrates were ct first purely judicial. but
when 6tuyvesant thought lt 70 administer
Legislative ordinance specially relating 10 the
city he called on the Burgomssters ana Al.
dermsn for their opinion. and In this way laid
the basis OF many OF our modern institutions.
btuyvesant had In fact GRADUALLY arrived ct
the conviction that he lacked the physical
power TO rule the city OF New Amsterdsm and
the province OF New Nstheriand By hls per-
sonAl Will No internal political strife dis
turbed the last few years OF the Directors
term. The pressure OF danger from without
allayed the dissensions between btuyvesant
and the peoples representative. 1t was
not long after the restoration OF Charles
IL before tho English began to take
possession OF tho Dutch towns on Long
Island. and 1t was manifest that New Amster-
dam was threatened with like fate Only 200
milttiamen and 100 regular soldiers were
available for the purpose OF repelllng the Eng
lish invader. who arrived In tho hsrbor with
four men-of-war mounting 30 guns and
~
ular crews. Stuyvesant himself was too much
ola soldier to DO willing TO surrender without
flrinG shot and It was only In compliance
with the cntresties OF tho citiEens that on Sept
1864. he consented to lower the Dutch nag.
The subsequene history OF Director Stuyve.
SAINT 10 briefly sketched. After appearing at
The Hague and submitting his report
OF his administration. he was allowed. In 1858,
to return to New Amsterdam, where he settled
on his farm. or bouwsry. covering that part OF
the present city which lies between Third ave-
nue., the East Kiver. Sixth and sixteenth
streets His house. standing to the wost Of
st. Marks Church In Tenth street, was de-
stroyed By hre In ATT. but tho pear tree which
he brought with him on his return to New
York survived tho house by nearly century.
It remained guarded by an iron fence. on the
corner OF Thirteenth street and Third avenue.
until delay compelled ts removal In 1857. Mr..
Fernow concurs with Bancroft In describing
the man who planted 1t as the brave and hon
est stuyvesant, soldier OF experience and
scholar. who was promoted Tor his services to
the government OF . province.
Before taking leave OF that section Of this
history which Ii devoted to the period OF
Dutch rule We would say word about the
topography OF New Amsterdam In Stuyvesants
time. To most frcauenters OF the present
kNok vnlt Snnr Ia hat
20Oyears ago vessels habitually came up Broad
street as far asthe junction OF Exchange place.
From Broad street to whitehall there ran q
street called by the Dutch the Brouwer. from
several breweries lying on It This Is sup
posed to have been the drst street paved in
New Amsterdam. and to have consequently
received the name which 1t now bears. the
name OF Stone street. Tho Winckel (shop)
street. which Is now closed. but ran from
Broad street diagonally through the blocks
whore the Mills building and United
States Custom House now stands, was