Coney Island's perimeter comprises man-made buildings meant to maintain the island's existing form. The beaches are no longer a natural feature; the sand that is intended to replenish Coney Island is blocked off by the jetty at Breezy Point, Queens. However, there are plans to return part of the beach to its natural state. Coney Island was formed when a long strip of land was left after the original Long Island was split into two pieces. The city of Brooklyn was built on most of this land, and parts of it remain as public parks. In 1642, Henry Hudson sailed along what is now the southern coast of New York looking for the entrance to the Great River. He called the water he saw "the Bay." Today, many people know it as "The Sound." But at the time, it was just another in a long line of oceans that Henry Hudson had seen. The first known reference to Coney Island was in 1644, when the Dutch West India Company announced plans to build a settlement called "New Amsterdam" on the southern end of the island. The company sent four ships with 350 settlers on board, but only one ship and its crew reached their destination. The others were lost at sea or during storms before they could reach their destination.