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General View of the County

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In 1607 a London company fitted out a ship for the purpose of discovering a N.W. passage to the East Indies, and gave the command to Henry Hudson. This and another voyage made the ensuing year, failed of their object, and the company withdrew their patronage. Hudson tendered his services to the Dutch East India company, who fitted out a small ship called the Half moon, put twenty men on board and appointed Hudson captain. He left Amsterdam on the 4th, the Texel on the 6th of April, and arrived on the coast on the 18th July, 1609, near Portland, in Maine. Proceeding south he came to Cape Cod, and landed 3rd of August. Entered the Chesapeak Bay 24th of August, and then returned north and discovered the Delaware Bay 28th August;— on the 3rd of September, 1609, he anchored within Sandy Hook. The tradition is, his men landed first on Coney Island, in Kings Co., while out in a boat fishing on the 4th. Here the natives came aboard and behaved well, and wished to barter for knives, beads, clothing, &c. Next day sent his boat out; the crew landed in N. J. and went some distance into the woods, where they were well received by the natives, who gave them green corn and dried currants, as stated in his journal. The currants were no doubt whortleberries.— On 6th Sept. sent a boat to explore the mouth of the river— the strait between Long and Staten Islands, now called the Narrows. The boat spent the day exploring, and returning were attacked by the natives in two canoes, one carrying fourteen and the other twelve men. A fight was had, and John Colman—one of Hudson’s men—killed by an arrow, which struck him in the throat, and two others were wounded. Colman was buried near the ship on a point of land called Colinan’s Point, now Sandy Hook. On the 11th he sailed through the Narrows and found, as the journal states, a very good harbor for all. The ship was visited by the natives, who brought Indian corn, beaus, tobacco and oysters. They had pipes of yellow copper, ornaments of the same and earthen pots to cook in. Though apparently friendly, the journey says that Hudson "made no show of to love" them, nor permitted them to remain on board at night.

From the 12th to the 22nd of Sept. Hudson was engaged in ascending the river, and as he proceeded the land grew higher till it became mountainous on both sides, and the “channel narrow with many eddy winds.” The natives were friendly and continued to come on board. The further he went up the more friendly the natives were. After they passed the Highlands his journal says, “they found a very loving people and very old men, and were well used." He proceeded north to about where the city of Hudson now stands. Hudson and his ship went no further, yet his boat explored it several leagues higher up, and from the description of the river probably as high as Albany. The mate went ashore about twenty-five miles south of Albany with an old Indian, a governor of the country, who took him to his home and made him good cheer. Here they came on board the ship, bringing corn, tobacco, pumpkins, grapes, beaver and other skins, and exchanged them for hatchets, knives, beads and other trifles. Hudson made some of them drink to see how they would act. Though many got merry yet only one got intoxicated. This created suspicion and alarm among the rest, who did not know what to make of it, and were not composed till next day, when he became sober.— This is the first instance of intoxication among the Indians in this part of the continent. This event is still preserved in the traditions of the Six Nations. After the Indian got sober many came on board—one made a speech, and showed them the country all about, made the captain reverence and departed. On the 22nd Sept. Hudson began to descend the river. When the ship came below the Highlands the natives appeared of a different character, extremely troublesome—attempted to rob, and frequently shot at the crew with bows and arrows from points of the land. Hudson’s men shot at them and killed ten of twelve men. This was on the west side of the river. The land on die east side near the month was called by the natives Mannahatta. On the 4th of Oct. Hudson came out of the river which bears his name, and without anchoring in the bay stood out to the open ocean.