Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 1 Book II Chapter IX

In which the pastoral beginnings of New Amsterdam are gently recalled, portraying a community thriving without laws under the benign care of St. Nicholas, while displaying a quaint harmony—and occasional discord—with its painted indigenous neighbours. Thus do we glimpse the restless spirit of expansion stirring among the settlers, whose ambitious explorations extend the province’s borders into the unknown, setting the stage for the attentions of the distant mother country.