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ANSWERS OF GOV. ANDROS TO ENQUIRIES ABOUT NEW YORK ; 1678.
[ Loml. Doc. III. J
Answers to the Inquiries of Plantacons for New Yorke.
1. The Governo r is to have a Councill not exceeding tenn, w th whose advice to act for the safety& good of the country, & in every towne, village or parish a Petty Court, & Courts of Sessions in theSeveral! precints being three, on Long Island, & Townes of New Yorke, Albany & Esopus, & somesmale or poore Islands & out places; and the Generali court of assizes composed of the Governo 1 ’ &Councill & all the Justices & magistrates att New York once a yeare, the Petty courts Judge of livepounds. & then may appeale to Sessions, they to twenty pounds & then may appeale to assizes to y eKing, al sd courts as by Law .
2. The court of Admiralty hath been by speciall comission or by the Court of Mayo r & Aldermenatt New Yorke.
3. The chiefe Legislative power there is in the Governo 1 with advice of the Councell the executivepower Judgm ts given by y e courts is in the sherilfs & other civil officers.
4. The law booke in force was made by the Governo' & Assembly att Hempsted in 1665 & sinceconfirmed by his Royal Highnesse.
5. The Militia is about 2000 of w ch about 140 horse in three troopes the foote formed into com-panyes, most under 100 men each all indifferently armed with fire-armes of all sizes, ordered &excersized according to Law, and are good fire men, one standing company of Souldiers with gunners& other officers for the fforts of New York & Albany alwayes victualled in October & November fora yeare.
6. Forteresses are James fforte seated upon a point of New Yorke towne between Hudson’s River& y e Sound, its a square with stone walls, foure bastions almost regular, and in it 46 gunnes mounted& stores for service accordingly. Albany is a smale long stockadoed forte with foure bastions in it,12 gunns, sufficient ag l Indians, and lately a wooden redout & out worke at Pemaquid w th 7 gunns,s’d Garrisons victualled for a yeare, w th suff 1 stores.
7. There are no privateers about o r Coasts.
8. Our Neighbours westward are Mary land populous and strong but doe not live in townes, theirproduce tobacco, Northwest the Maques & c . Indians y e most warr like in all the Northern Parts ofAmerica, their trade beavers & furrs. Northward the ffrench of Canada trade as wee with ourIndians; Eastward Connecticut in a good condicon & populous, their produce provisions of wheate,beefe & porke, some pease, o' South bounds the Sea .
9. Wee keepe good Correspondence with all o r neighbours as to Civill, legall or judiciall proceed-ings, but differ with Connecticut for o r bounds & mutuall assistance w ch they nor Massachusetts willnot admitt.
10. Our boundaries are South, the Sea, West Delaware ; North to y e Lakes or ffrench ; East Con-necticut river, but most usurped & yett possed by s’d Connecticut some Islands Eastward & a tractbeyond Kennebeck River called Pemaquid, &c. New Yorke is in40 d 35 m ; Albany ab‘ 43 d ; the Col-
. l°ny is in severall long narrow stripes of w ch a greate parte of the settlem 4 made by adventurers be-fore any Regulacon by w oh Incroachm 1 ** without pattents w ch townes have lately taken but by reasonoi continuall warrs noe Survey made & [qu. of the] wildernesse, noe certaine computacon can bemade of the planted and implanted, these last 2 yeares about 20,000 acres taken up and pattentedfor particuler persons besides Delaware, most of the land taken up except upon Long Island is im-proued &. unlesse the bounds oi the Duke’s pattent be asserted noe great quantityes att hand undis-posed.