it sufficiently appears that scarcely any proper care or
diligence has been used by the Company or its officers for
any ecclesiastical property whatever--at least, nothing as
far as is known--from the beginning to this time; but on the
contrary great industry and exertion have been used to bind
closely to them their minions, or to gain new ones as we
shall hereafter at the proper time relate. And now let us
proceed to the consideration of what public measures of a
civil character had been adopted up to the time of our
departure, in order to make manifest the diligence and care
of the Directors in this particular.

<1> Seventeenth-century Dutch towns abounded in institutions
of this sort.

There was not at first, under the government of Director
Kieft, so much opportunity as there has since been, because
the recognition of the peltries was then paid in the
Fatherland, and the freemen gave nothing for excise; but
after that public calamity, the rash war, was brought upon
us, the recognition of the peltries began to be collected in
this country, and a beer-excise was sought to be established,
about which a conference was had with the Eight Men, who were
then chosen from the people. They did not approve of it as
such, but desired to know under what regulations and upon
what footing it would take place, and how long it would
continue. Director Kieft promised that it should not continue
longer than until a ship of the Company should arrive with a
new Director, or until the war should be at an end. Although
it was very much distrusted by all, and therefore was not