ointed by the Director and Council
curators over the estate, and the yacht was searched. Some goods were
found in it which were not entered, whereupon the fiscaal went to law
with the curators, and claimed that the goods were confiscable to
the Company. The curators resisted and gave Herdenberch charge of the
matter. After some proceedings the goods were condemned. As he found
himself now aggrieved in behalf of the common owners, he appealed to
such judges as they should choose for the purpose. The same game was
then played over again. It was a high crime. The fiscaal made great
pretensions and a sentence was passed, whereof the contents read thus:
"Having seen the written complaint of the Fiscaal vander Hoytgens
against Arnoldus van Hardenberch in relation to appealing from our
sentence dated the 28th April last past, as appears by the signature of
the before-named Sr. A. van Hardenberch, from which sentence no appeal
can be had, as is proven to him by the States General and His Highness
of Orange: Therefore the Director General and Council of New Netherland,
regarding the dangerous consequences tending to injure the supreme
authority of this land's magistracy, condemn the before-named Arnold van
Herdenberch to pay forthwith a fine of 25 guilders, or to be imprisoned
until the penalty be paid; as an example to others." Now, if one know
the lion from his paw, he can see that these people do not spare the
name of Their High Mightinesses, His Highness of Orange, the honor of
the magistrates, nor the words, "dangerous consequences," "an example
to others," and other such words, to play their own parts therewith. We
have therefore placed this act by the side of that which was committed
against the minister Doughty. Many more similar cases would be found in
the record, if other things were always rightly inserted in it, which
is very doubtful, the contrary sometimes being observed. It appears then
sufficiently that everything has gone on rather strangely. And with
this we will leave the subject and pass on to the government of Director
Stuyvesant, with a single word, however, touching the sinister proviso
incorporated in the ground-briefs, as the consequences may thence be
very well understood. Absolute grants were made to the people by the
ground-briefs, and when they thought that everything was right, and
that they were masters of their own possessions, the ground-briefs
were demanded from them again upon pretence that there