ef command himself. I have also
written to Mr. Godyn(3) about it, considering it necessary that it
should be known.

(1) "Evert Croeger, with whom, prior to this, I had made
long voyages, but never before did I know him well."--Letter
of August 8 to Jan Foreest.

(2) Admiral Jan Dirckszoon Lam, who in 1625 and 1626 was in
command of a Dutch squadron on the west coast of Africa.

(3) Probably Samuel Godyn, a prominent director of the
company.

Our coming here was agreeable to all, and I hope, by the grace of the
Lord, that my service will not be unfruitful. The people, for the most
part, are rather rough and unrestrained, but I find in almost all of
them both love and respect towards me; two things with which hitherto
the Lord has everywhere graciously blessed my labors, and which in
our calling, as your Reverence well knows and finds, are especially
desirable, in order to make our ministry fruitful.

From the beginning we established the form of a church; and as Brother
Bastiaen Crol(1) very seldom comes down from Fort Orange, because the
directorship of that fort and the trade there is committed to him, it
has been thought best to choose two elders for my assistance and for the
proper consideration of all such ecclesiastical matters as might occur,
intending the coming 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 r