DE
VRIES
EARLY
DUTCH EXPLORER
As
early as 1609 Dutch explorer Henry Hudson was the first European
to
pursue explorations in the new world. He was sent to seek America
and arrived at the mouth of now Delaware Bay on the 28th
of August of 1609. Hudson then sailed up the New Jersey coast and
anchored off Sandy Hook on September 3. Nine days later he sailed
through the Narrows into New York Bay, and entered the river that
since has borne his name.
Favorable
reports from Hudson's navigator immediately set in motion other
expeditions to New Netherlands.
Before
1614, a fleet of Dutch vessels under the command of Captain Cornelius
Jacobson Mey, arrived at Delaware Bay and two years later Captain
Cornelius Hendrickson sailed up the Delaware and discovered the
Schuykill , the site of Philadelphia.
The
Dutch West India Company was chartered in 1621. In 1623 Captain May
established Fort Nassau on the east shore just north of today's
Wilmington, Delaware. Another settlement was made on the same east
banks of the Delaware, but even by 1631 no white man had made
settlement on the rivers west banks.
On
the 12th of December, 1630, there came to Cape Henlopen
, the southern capes, a party of colonists from Holland, under David
Pietersson DeVries, of Hoorn, a bold and skilful seaman, and set up
the finest personage settlement in America. A ship and a yacht
bound to the Zudyt River, (South River), were sent from the Texel
with a number of people and a large stock of cattle, the object
being, to carry on a whole fishery in the region and to plant a
colony
for cultivation of all sorts of grain, which the is well adapted to,
and
tobacco.
The colony was “Valley of the Swans”, or, Zwanendael, in the
neighborhood of what is now the village of Lewes. A substantial
building was erected, surrounded with palisades, a began a
settlement.
After
a few weeks the ship Walrus sailed on it's return trip to Holland
with De Vries on board. The colony was left in charge of
“Commisionary, Giles
Hosset.
This colony was destined to be the most unfortunate and of short
duration.
Back
in Holland, DeVries, agreed to return to Zwanendael , fitted out two
ships, and set sail from the Texel on 24 May 1632 in order to arrive
in good time for the winter fishery. It was understood that whales
come in the winter and remain until March. Upon his sailing, he
received bad news, the colony had been destroyed by Indians, but
proceeded with the expedition and on December 5, 1732, arrived at
Cape Cornelius and found the report was all too true. The next day
DeVries went ashore, found lying here and there the skulls and bones
of people and the heads of horses and cows. There were no Indians
visible so he returned to his vessel and had the gunner fire a shot
or two to shore. The next day a group of Indians appeared.
Returning
to shore, a conference occurred where DeVries received some
explanation
of the disaster , which came about because of a misunderstanding. One
of the party of Indians was induced to spend the night with the ship
and rehearsed the story.
“
Commisonary Hosset had set upon a pole a sign of tin, with the Arms
of Netherlands, as evidence of the its claim and profession, which
the Indians mistook as “the purpose of making tobacco pipes”.
The sign was destroyed by the Indians, and declared by the colony ,
an act of State, not larceny, and had the offender brought to him,
excused by the colony, but executed by the tribe, which was blamed
on the Dutch but other tribe members.
This
was during the season when the men of the colony were engaged in
cultivation of distant fields of crops and away from the palisade.
The Indians took this advantage, entered the colony on a trade
pretense and murdered Hosset and a sentinel, killing the stock and
watch dog, then went to the fields and massacred every individual.
DeVries did not blame Hosset nor did he chastise the Indians, and did
not set upon them any punitive expedition, feeling more bloodshed
would not heal the wounds already made. With the view to future
fishing he exchanged goods with them and made an engagement of peace
The
new year, 1643, 1st of January, DeVries set sail up the
river and on the 6th arrived at Fort Nassau which was now
deserted except by Indians of which he was suspicious, but traded
with upon extreme caution. DeVries remained in the vicinity of Fort
Nassau several days on alert and nearly fell victim here to betrayal
of the natives who had directed him to haul his yacht into the narrow
Timmerkill. convenient to attack.
DeVries
had been warned by a female Indian and told of the crew of an English
vessel from Jamestown, Virginia, which were murdered in the river the
past September while exploring it. Returning to Fort Nassau he
found it was filled with savages.
January
10th, he drifted his yacht off on an ebb tide, anchored
at noon on the bar at Jacques Island and on the 13th
rejoined his ship at Zwanendael . This island has been identified as
Little Tinicum, opposite the Greater Tinicum, now part of
Delaware
county Pennsylvania , the creek in which he lay was therefore Ridley
Creek or perhaps Chester Creek , but DeVries was within the State of
Pennsylvania.
That
April DeVries returned to Holland, thus, after twenty five years
since the discovery of the Delaware by Hudsom, not a single European
remained on its shores.
Source:
Abstract by Harrison Howeth, from 'The Indiana Gazette of Indiana,
Pennsylvania,
Friday,
December 7, 1923: Article “Pennsylvania History”, by
Frederick
A Godcharles, Author, copyright 1823.
No comments:
Post a Comment