Activate Javascript or update your browser for the full Digital Library experience.
Previous Page
–
Next Page
OCR
time, they’ were “not ‘eating or drinking. : “Their - leader, Vv an
Gurter, was° one of 'those~ fiery, self-willed’ men > sometimes
found in his nation, who mistake pig-headed obstinacy: for firm-
ness of heart. “An! old soldier,’ ‘trained under, ‘the unhappy
Prince of | Orange, he. thought io people’ like’ his own; and no
soldier like himself.” ‘He! had’ seen, With ill- disguised jealousy,
that a people were growing | up about him who were ‘ahead of
: his own in acuteness, and’ who’ were’ daily. outstripping thein
in matters of- business.” iH! had written ‘2’ ‘dispatch’ to Wou-
ter Von. Tiller, Governor of New-Netherlands, : ‘acquainting
‘im with the inroad:of these Windsor: people, and of the ab-» -
solute _ incapacity of ‘his* men: to compete with then.” The
. governor thereupon | issued! a proclamation, cominiaiiding the
English to withdraw from: Jand which: was the Property. of the
af cag) i
Dutch East India: Company. '
The Yankees’ answer was very | much to » the same effect as
that of the worthy ‘Master Nicholas, wwhen'he' defied ‘the 'trum- .
peter of William Kieft, applying’: ‘his’ thump’ to'the: tip of his
nose, and spreading ‘out the: fingers’ ‘Hike a fan. - At least, they»
. paid no attention to ‘thie’ prock amation; “put ‘cortinued to take
up Jand, ‘and: increase: the limits of: their: colony. “The only
reply they did youchsafe to ‘the: demand of the governor was
‘that’ they claimed the: Jand ‘in the’ right. of possession; and
would not give it up. “The New Neilierlanders had no desire
~ to make a “quarrel with their neighbors, who were, for the
-, most part, strong, men, who would not hesitate to use manual
*: persuasion in ease it became necessary. “Hence: ‘the Dutchmen
| resorted_to all manner of threats, entreaties —any thing but
t
violence. pang aehige ts vial Mh
abalosq ve
There was one person, in par ticular; Ww ho: was a ‘source “of
_ constant’ annoyatice to the’ ‘people of Good Hope." This was
oa ‘hawker, of smail trinkets, known in the: “settlements as Bos:
-ton Bainbridge. A's arp, pusiiiess-like fellow, not 2 bad pro-
totype of the Down -Easter of our day, he made his way into
every house from: Buston to the City of’ Brotherly’ ‘Love. ' His
- pack was W eleomed. in the jhouses': of his own ‘country ‘men,
who, being ‘as sharp in’buying ashe was in’ selling, seldom al-
lowed him to ‘get ‘the betier * ‘of them.’ But the Dutchmen
‘Were not so cunning, | and were overret ached” in many a bar
— gain Boston did not confine himself entirely to dealing in
‘noaToS nArNonmDen. oo