The present state of His Majesties isles and territories in America ... with new maps of every place : together with astronomical tables, which will serve as a constant diary or calendar, for the use of the English inhabitants in those islands, from the year 1686 to 1700 : also a table by which ... you may know what hour it is in any of those parts, and how to make sun-dials fitting for all those places.

A DESCRIPTION Of NEW-YORK.

ADjoyning to Mary-Land Northwards, is a Colony called New-York, from our present Gracious Sovereign, when Duke of York, the Pro∣prietor thereof by Grant from His Majesty, and is that part of New-England which the Dutch once possessed; it was first discovered by Mr. Hudson,* 1.1 and sold presently by him to the Dutch without

Authority from his Sovereign the King of England, in 1608. The Hollanders in 1614. began to plant there, and called it New-Netherland; but Sir Samuel Argal, Governour of Virginia, routed them; after which, they got leave of King James to put in there for Fresh-Water in their Passage to Brazile, and did not offer to plant till a good while after the English were setled in the Countrey. In 1664. His late Majesty King Charles the Second sent over four Commissioners to reduce the Colony into bounds, that had been encroached upon by each other; who marched with three hundred Red-Coats to Manhadees, and took from the Dutch the chief Town, then called New-Amsterdam, now New-York; and Aug. 29. turned out their Governour with a Silver Leg, and all the rest but those who acknowledged Subjection to the King of England; suffering them to enjoy their Houses and Estates as before. Thirteen days after, Sir Robert Car took the Fort and Town of Aurania, now called Albany, and twelve days after that, the Fort and Town of Arasapha, then Delaware-Castle, manned with Dutch and Swedes; so that now the English are Ma∣sters of three handsom Towns, three strong Forts and a Castle, without the loss of one man. The first Governour of these Parts for the King of Eng∣land was Colonel Nicols, one of the Commissio∣ners.

It is a Countrey of a rich and fertil Soyl,* 1.2 well watered with Ri∣vers, as in Mary-Land, already spoken of; and is found to produce the same Beasts, Birds, Fish, Fruits, Commodities, Trees, &c. and in as great plenty; and it is reported that one Bushel of European Wheat has yielded an hundred in one year.

The most considerable Town is that of New-York;* 1.3 being well seated both for Trade, Security, and Pleasure, in a small Isle called Manahatan, re∣garding the Sea, made so by Hudson's River, which severeth it from Long-Island, which said River is very commodious for Shipping, being about two Leagues broad. The Town is large, containing about five hundred well-built Houses, built with Dutch-Brick, and the meanest not valued under one hundred Pounds; to the landward it is encom∣passed with a Wall of good thickness, and forti∣fied at the entrance of the River, so as to com∣mand any Ship which passeth that way, by a Fort, called James-Fort: and for Civil Government, it hath a Mayor, Alderman, Sheriff, and Justices of the Peace for their Magistrates. The Inhabitants are most English and Dutch, who have a very con∣siderable Trade with the Indians, for the Skins of Elks, Deer, Bears, &c. also for those of Beaver, Otter, Racoon-skins, with other rich Furs, and are supplied with Venison and Fowl in the Winter, and Fish in the Summer, by the Indians, at an easie price.

This Province formerly contained all that Land which is seated in the North part of Ame∣rica, betwixt England and Mary-Land, the length toward the North being not fully known; the breadth is about 200 Miles: The chief Rivers are Hudson-River, Raritan River, and Delaware-Bay; and the principal Islands are the Manahatan-Island, Long-Island, and Stater-Island. Manahatan-Island, so called by the Indians, lieth within land, betwixt forty one and forty two Degrees of North Lati∣tude, and is in length about fourteen Miles, and two broad. New-York is seated on the West-end of

this Island, having a small Arm of the Sea, which divides it from Long-Island on the South. Long-Island runs Eastward above a hundred Miles, and in some places eight, twelve and fourteen Miles broad, inhabited from one end to the other, ha∣ving a rich Soil for all English-Grain; the Fruits, Trees and Herbs very good; in May you may see the Woods and Fields so richly bedecked with Roses, and variety of other delightful Flowers, as equal, if not excel, many Gardens in Eng∣land.

This Country is also possessed with sundry sorts of People,* 1.4 not much unlike the Indians of Vir∣ginia, being well-proportioned, swarthy, black∣haired, very expert in their Bow and Arrows, which are their chief Weapons of War; they are very serviceable and courteous to the English, being of a ready Wit and very apt to recieve In∣struction from them; but there are now but few Indians upon the Island, being strangely decreased since the English first settled there, for not long ago there were six Towns full of them, which are now reduced to two Villages, the rest being cut off by Wars among themselves, or some raging, mortal Diseases. They live principally by Hunt∣ing Fowling and Fishing, their Wives tilling the Land and planting the Corn; they feed on Fish, Fowl and Venison, likewise Pol-cats, Turtles, Racoon and the like: they build small moveable Tents, which they remove three times a year, chiefly quar∣tering where they plant their Corn, besides their Hunting and Fishing-Quarters. Their principal Recreation are Foot-ball and Cards, at which they will play away all they have, except a Flap to co∣ver their nakedness: they are very great lovers of

Strong-drink, so that without they have enough to be drunk, they care not to drink at all; if their company be so great, that they have not enough to make them all drunk, they usually chuse so many as are proportionable to that quantity, and the rest must be spectators; if any happen to be drunk, before he has taken his share, which is ordinarily a quart of Brandy, Rum or Strong-wa∣ters; to shew their Justice, they will pour the rest down his Throat: in which debauches they often kill one another, which the Friends of the dead re∣venge upon the Murtherer, unless he purchase his Life with Money, which is made of Periwinkle-shell, both black and white, strung like Beads.

They observe several Ceremo∣nies in their Reigious Rites,* 1.5 and are said to Worship the Devil, which usually they perform once or twice a Year, unless upon some extraordinary occasion, as the making of War, or the like, when their Corn is ripe, which is usually about Michaelmas; The day being appointed by their Chief Priest, or Pawaw, most of them go a Hunting for Venison; when they are all assembled, if the Priest wants Money, he then tells them, their God will accept no Offer∣ing, but Money; which the People believing, eve∣ry one gives according to his ability: the Priest takes the Money, and putting it into some Dishes, sets them upon the top of their low, flat-roofed Houses, and so falls a calling upon their God, to come and receive it, which, with many loud hol∣lows and out-crys, striking the ground with sticks, and beating themselves, is performed by the Priest, and seconded by the People. After, being thus wearied, a Devil, by his conjuration, appears amongst them, sometimes in the shape of a Fowl,

a Beast, or a Man, which so amazeth the people, that they dare not stir; the Priest improves the opportunity, and stepping out, makes sure of the Money, and then returns to lay the Spirit, who is often gone before he comes back, having taken some of the company along with him; but if at such times any English come among them, it puts a period to their proceedings, and they will desire his absence, saying, Their God will not come, till they are departed. They are much addicted to go to War against one another, but they sight no pitch'd Bat∣tel, but upon their Enemies approach, (having first secured their Wives and Children in some Island, or thick Swamp) armed with Guns and Hatchets, they way-lay their Enemy, and it's counted a great Fight when seven or eight are slain; they seldom give quarter to any, but the Women and Children, whom they reserve and make use of for the increa∣sing their strength.

When an Indian dies, they bury him upright,* 1.6 sitting upon a Seat, with his Gun, Money, and Goods, to furnish him in the other World, which they believe to be Westward, where they shall have great store of Game for Hunting, and live at ease; at his Funeral, his Relations paint their Faces black, making, at his Grave, once or twice every day, sad Lamentations; thus continu∣ing till the blackness is wore off their Faces; and after that, once a Year they mourn afresh for him, visiting and trimming up the Grave, not suffering any Grass to grow near it, fencing it with a Hedge, and covering it with Mats for a shelter from the Rain. Notwithstanding all this bustle, when an Indian is dead his Name dies with him, none da∣ring ever after to mention his Name, it being not

only a breach of their Law, but an affront to his Friends and Relations, as if done on purpose to renew their grief. And every person, bearing the same Name, instantly changes it for another, which every one invents for himself; some call themselves Rattlesnakes, others Buckshorn, or the like; yea, if a person die, whose Name is some Word used in common Speech, they change that Word, and invent a new one, which makes their Lan∣guage very troublesom. When any one is sick, after his Friends have used all possible means, eve∣ry one pretending skill in Physick, but all proving ineffectual, they send for a Pawaw, or Priest, who, sitting down by the sick person, without the least inquiring after the Distemper, expects a Fee or Gift, according to which he proportions his work, beginning with a low voice to call some∣times upon one God, and then on another, still raising his vice, beating his naked breasts and sides till the sweat runs down, and his breath is al∣most gone, and what remains, he breaths upon the face of the sick person three or four times together, so takes his leave.

Their Weddings are performed without any Ceremony,* 1.7 the Match being first made by Money, which being agreed on, and given to the Woman, makes a Consummation of the Marriage, if we may so call it; after which, he keeps her du∣ring pleasure, and, upon the least dislike, turns her away and takes another. It is no offence for their married Women to lie with another Man, provi∣ded she acquaint her Husband, or some of her nearest Relations therewith; but if not, they ac∣count it such a fault as is sometimes punishable by death. When any Woman finds herself quick with

Child, she keeps herself chaste, or untouched by Man, until her delivery, the like she observeth in her giving such, a strange Custom which our Euro∣pean Ladies would not well relish. An Indian may have two or three or more Wives if he please; but it is not now so much used, as before the Eng∣lish came, they being inclined to imitate them in things both good and bad. Any Maid, before she is married, lies with whom she pleases for Money, without the least scandal or aspersion, it being not only customary, but lawful. They are extream charitable to one another, for if any one has to spare, he freely imparts to his friends, and whatever they get by Gaming, or otherwise, they share one with another, leaving commonly the least part to themselves.

When their King or Sachen sits in Council, he hath a company of armed Men to guard his person, great respect being shewed him by the people, which chiefly appears by their silence; after he has declared the cause of their convention, he de∣mands their Opinions, ordering who shall first be∣gin, who, having delivered his mind, tells them, he hath done, for no man interrupts him, though he makes never so many long stops and halts, till he says, he hath no more to say; the Council ha∣ving all delivered their Opinions, the King, after some pause, gives the definitive Sentence, which is commonly seconded by a shout from the people, thereby signifying their assent or applause. If any person be condemned to die, which is seldom, but for Murder, or Incest, the King himself goes out in person, (for they have no Prisons, and the guil∣ty person flies into the Woods) to seek him out, and having found him, the King shoots first, though at never such a distance, and then happy is the

man that can shoot him down, who, for his pains, is made some Captain or Military Officer.

Their Clothing* 1.8 is a yard and a half of broad Cloth, which they hang on their Shoulders, and half a yard of the same, being put between their Legs, is tied up before and behind, and fastened with a Girdle about their middle, and hangs with a slap on each side; they wear no Hats, but commonly tye either a Snakes-skin about their ••eads, a Belt of their Money, or a kind of Ruff, made with Deers-hair, and dyed of a Scarlet-colour, which they esteem very rich, they grease their Bodies and Hair very often, and paint their Faces with divers Colours, as Black, White, Red, Yellow, Blew, which they take great pride in, every one being painted in a several manner. Thus much for the Customs of the Indians, and the Colony of New-York.

Hudson's River runs by New-York Northward into the Country, towards the head of which is seated New-Albany, a place of a very considerable Trade with the Natives, betwixt which and New-York, being above an hundred Miles distance, is as good Corn-land as the World affords; it was re∣duced to his Majesties obedience by Col. Nicholas, and a League of Friendship concluded between the Inhabitants and the Indians, by whom they have never been since disturbed, but every man hath sate under his own Vine, and hath peaceably reaped and enjoyed the Fruits of his own Labour, which God continue.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Its Discovery.
• * 1.2

  Its Fertility.
• * 1.3

  Its Situation.
• * 1.4

  Its Inhabitants.
• * 1.5

  Their Religion.
• * 1.6

  Their way of Burial.
• * 1.7

  Their Mar∣riages.
• * 1.8

  Their Clothing.