gov. dongan’s REPORT on the province of new-york.

113

since carried away by the overflowing of the river, It does not contain above fifteen or sixteen acres.I doubt not but I shall make it appear that I have done nothing in this to his Mat” prejudice I con-ceive I have done the King very good service in Albany. The town of Albany lyes within theRanslaers Colony, and to say truth the Ranslaers had the right to it for it was they settled the place,@ upon a petition of one of them to our present King about Albany the petitioner was referred tohis Mat' 8 council at law who upon a perusal of the Ranslaers papers made their return that it wastheir opinion that it did belong to them Upon which there was an order sent over to S r Edmund An-dros that the Ranslaers should be put in possession of Albany, @ that every house should pay sometwo beavers, some more some less according to their dimensions pr annum, for thirty years, @ after-wards the Ranslaers to put what rent upon them they could agree for—What reason S 1 ' Edmond An-dros has given for not putting these orders in execution I know notThe Ranslaers came @ brought me the same orders which I thought not convenient to executejudging it not for his Maty 8 interest that the second town of the Goverment @ which brings his Mat''soe great a Revenue should bee in the hands of any particular men The town of itself is upon abarren sandy spot of land, @ the inhabitants live wholly upon trade with the Indians. By the meanesof Mr James Graham Judge Palmer @ Mr Cortlandt that have great influence on that people I gotthe Ranslears to release their pretence to the town @ sixteen miles into the country for commons tothe King with liberty to cut firewood within the Colony for one @ twenty years. After I had ob-tained this release of the Ranslaers I passed the patent for Albany wherein was included the aforementioned pasture, to which the people apprehended they had so good a right that they expressedthemselves discontented at my reserving a small spot of it for a garden for the use of the GarrisonThat the people of Albany has given me £ 700 . is untrue I am but promised =£300, which is notnear my P r quisits, viz, ten shillings for every house @ the like for every hundred acres patented byme, established by a committee appointed by the Assembly for the establishing of all fees, whereCap 1 Santen may remember himself was chairman, Alsoe what they have given to those other Gen-tlemen I know nothing of it @ upon my word in Gen 1 1 have not got the fourth part of my Pquisits,chusing rather to want them than take from the poor people that cannot spare it

To the Fifteenth concerning a farm, at East Jersey belonging to his Mat y SfcMr Santen might have given a better account of this if his malice had suftered him The Farm atEast Jersey paid £10, p r annum to his Maty @ at a Rack-rent, the proprietors of East Jersey puttingus to more trouble than the value of it, they constantly disturbing the Tenants on pretence that hisMaty had granted that to them, so that I conclude it would be more inconvenient to keep it than topart with it. Therefore Judge Palmer having an interest in East-Jersey @ an influence with theGovernor there, on his giving mee his obligation to pay as a fine the summ of £60. to the King incase hee should not think fit to forgive it @ the rent of twenty shillings p r ann. @ to defend the title,I gave him a lease of the Reversion of it^

To the Sixteenth concerning Rockaway Neck Sfc

Mr Santen poor man neither understands his own nor others concerns, hee was one of the Councilhimself when Cap 4 Palmer petitioned for licence to purchase this land, lying without the meers @bounds of Hempsted @ when the same was granted, @ before hee had had his patent granted, thepeople of Hempstead were summoned to appear to show cause, if they had any why it should notbee granted, Thereupon one person came to mee @ told mee that it was his land @ that it was withinthe meers @ bounds of Hempstead on which I ordered him to put a Caveat in to the Seery 8 officeagainst the passing of Judge Palmers patent, and then the Surveyor went to survey the lands accom-panied by some of the Inhabitants of Hempsted, to show him their bounds who returning this lands[Vol. I.] 15