settlement there. Stirling had received a grant of Long
Island from the Council of New England in April, 1635.

In the year 1647, a Scotchman came here, who called himself
Captain Forester,<1> and claimed this island for the Dowager
of Sterling, whose governor he gave himself out to be. He
had a commission dated in the eighteenth year of King James's
reign, but it was not signed by His Majesty or any body else.
Appended to it was an old seal which we could not decipher.
His commission embraced the whole of Long Island, together
with five leagues round about it, the main land as well as
the islands. He had also full authority from Mary, dowager
of Sterling, but this was all. Nevertheless the man was
very consequential, and said on his first arrival that he
came here to see Governor Stuyvesant's commission, and if
that was better than his, he was willing to give way; if
not, Governor Stuyvesant must yield to him. To make the
matter short, the Director took copies of the papers and
sent the man across<2> in the Falconer; but as this vessel
put into England, the man did not reach Holland, having
escaped there, and never troubling the captain afterwards.
The English have since boasted of this very loudly, and
have also given out that he had again arrived at Bastock,<3>
but we have not heard of him. It is to be apprehended that
if he came now, some new act would be committed, for which
reason it would be well to hasten the redress of New Netherland.

<1> Andrew Forester, of Dundee.
<2> Across the ocean.
<3> Boston.