treaty with the
Dutch. There did not, however, seem to be any encouragement again to
attempt the establishment of a colony, or of any trading posts in that
region. He therefore abandoned the Delaware river, and for some time
no further attempts were made to colonize its coasts.

In April, 1633, an English ship arrived at Manhattan. The bluff
captain, Jacob Elkins, who had formerly been in the Dutch employ, but
had been dismissed from their service, refused to recognize the Dutch
authorities, declaring that New Netherland was English territory,
discovered by Hudson, an Englishman. It was replied that though Hudson
was an Englishman, he was in the service of the East India Company at
Amsterdam; that no English colonists had ever settled in the region,
and that the river itself was named Mauritius river, after the Prince
of Orange.

Elkins was not to be thus dissuaded. He had formerly spent four years
at this post, and was thoroughly acquainted with the habits and
language of the Indians. His spirit was roused. He declared that he
would sail up the river if it cost him his life. Van Twiller was
equally firm in his refusal. He ordered the Dutch flag to be run up at
fort Amsterdam, and a salute to be fired in honor of the Prince of
Orange. Elkins, in retaliation, unfurled the English flag at his
mast-head, and fired a salute in honor of King Charles. After
remaining a week at fort Amsterdam, and being refused a license to
ascend the river, he defiantly spread his colors to the breeze,
weighed anchor, and boldly sailed up the stream to fort Orange. This
was the first British vessel which ascended the North river.

The pusillanimous Van Twiller was in a great rage, but had no decision
of character to guide him in such an emergency. The merchant clerk,
invested with gubernatorial powers, found himself in waters quite
beyond his depth. He collected all the people of the fort, broached a
cask of wine, and railed valiantly at the intrepid Englishman, whose
ship was fast disappearing beyond the palisades. His conduct excited
only the contempt and derision of those around.

DeVrees was a man of very different fibre. He had, but a few days
before, entered the port from Swaanendael. He dined with the Governor
that day, and said to him in very intelligible Dutch:

"You have committed a great folly. Had it been my case, I
would have helped the Englishman to some eight pound iron
beans, and have prevented him from go