p7  Foreword

The present study was undertaken with the aim of commemorating, in 1959, the three hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Henry Hudson's "discovery" of Delaware Bay. Initially it was conceived as a joint production of the two authors whose names appear on the title page, each to contribute different chapters based on his own research. But because of the press of official duties, one of the writers found it necessary to reduce himself to the status of a collaborator and to leave the bulk of the writing to the other. This change in procedure naturally delayed the completion of the manuscript, with the result that the finished book, which still technically commemorates the Hudson voyage, is a full two years behind itself. The three hundred and fiftieth year of Hudson's visit to American waters, one regrets to say, passed with only casual notice in the public press. It is hoped, however, that the publication of this volume comes not too late to do timely honor to one of the great navigators of the seventeenth century.

As the book now stands each chapter, by design, is a separate entity, as originally planned. A certain continuity has, nevertheless, been observed, and the reader will find that although he can turn to a chapter of specific interest without necessarily reading what precedes or follows, he can also start at the beginning and read straight through without being aware of any unnatural transitions. For example, Chapter 6, which deals with the Dutch maps and geographical names, is a chapter unto itself, yet it ties in with material presented in earlier chapters. This chapter, incidentally, is the only one for which the collaborating author is wholly responsible, but he also supplied all the new translations of Dutch documents into English.

 p8  An account of the seventeenth century Dutch settlements on the Delaware has been given before, as an incidental part of the history of New Netherland (e.g., by O'Callaghan in 1848), or of New York (e.g., by Brodhead in 1853). The subject has also been treated with authority, but incompletely, by historians primarily concerned with New Sweden (e.g., by Amandus Johnson in 1911), or with Delaware (e.g., by Scharf in 1888). But there has never before been a separate and independent volume dealing with the Dutch on the Delaware, and one has long been needed to enable the student to see in full perspective the history of both New Netherland and New Sweden, as well as the English efforts to command the area. The need has become even more critical since the translation and publication, in 1925, by A. J. F. van Laer of the so‑called Van Rappard Documents. Although of utmost importance in the story of the Dutch on the Delaware, the significance of these documents, found in Holland, has not been generally recognized.

The center of political and social life in New Netherland in the seventeenth century was on Manhattan Island, where, as most schoolbooks have it, Peter Minuit supposedly made the noted purchase from the Indians which gave owner­ship rights to the Dutch and permitted the founding of their colony. On the basis of evidence now available, the present study shows that the Dutch originally intended a "beauti­ful" or "high" island in the Delaware River to be the seat of New Netherland two years before Manhattan Island was purchased by Minuit — if, indeed, he were the purchaser. The account of that Delaware island settlement is given here in as full detail as the limited data permit, including an identification of the island in terms of today's geography.

The reader will observe that a new translation of Henry Hudson's contract with the directors of the East India Company (1609) appears in full in the opening chapter. This is a key document  p9 in the history of New Netherland, for it set in motion a series of events leading to the "discovery" of Delaware Bay, the formation of the West India Company, and the founding of the short-lived community on the "beauti­ful" island in the Delaware River, prior to the settlement on Manhattan Island.

This volume also tells the full story of the efforts of the Dutch patroons to found a whaling colony at Swanendael (present Lewes, Delaware), and to establish a sister colony in New Jersey on the opposite shore of the bay. In Appendix A, for the convenience of the student, are brought together, from scattered sources, all the known major documentary references to the ill‑fated Swanendael colony, later called the Hoeren‑kil. Among these documents is a new English translation of a passage in Kort Verhael van Nieuw-Nederlants Gelegenheit (1662), which has heretofore been only partially translated; the transcript of a patent to Francis Jenkins for 600 acres of land (1672), and a deposition by Philemon Lloyd about the burning of the settlement at the Hoeren‑kil in 1673.

Other documents not previously published are a full translation of the secret instructions issued to Peter Minuit (1637); an account of Andries Hudde's purchase of lands from the Indians at the site of present Philadelphia (1646); and a deposition by James Way, concerning both English and Dutch settlement efforts on the Delaware (1684). These all contribute to a better understanding of the story of New Netherland from the southern point of vantage, i.e., the South River, and bring into sharper focus the significance of Fort Nassau and the erection of Fort Beversreede, which preceded the shift of Dutch strength to Fort Casimir, later called Fort Amstel, and still later, New Castle.

Writers in the field of history inevitably build upon the works of their predecessors, and this volume is no exception. The very considerable indebtedness owed to other writings that have come before is, it is hoped, thoroughly enough acknowledged in the  p10 footnotes to obviate repetition here. There are, of course, others to whom grateful appreciation for assistance, advice, and encouragement is due, even though they are not named. Special thanks should be accorded, however, to the staffs of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Historical Society of Delaware, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Memorial Library of the University of Delaware, the New York Public Library, the Public Archives of the State of Delaware, and the Wilmington Institute Free Library for courteous and valued assistance. Thanks are also due to the Faculty Research Committee of the University of Delaware for encouragement and financial aid.

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