Manning was in despair. He knew full well that there was no hope of
defending the city successfully. He sent a messenger dashing off to the
Governor, and he sent another to the Dutch ships to ask what they were
doing in the bay, just as though he did not know. The Dutch sent word
back that the city must be surrendered to them that same day. And to
show they meant what was said, the Dutch admiral despatched one of his
captains, Anthony Colve by name, who landed with 600 men. The Dutch
captain agreed that if the English left the fort without a show of
resistance, they could do so with the honors of war and without
interference. Then he and his soldiers tramped down the road that is now
Broadway. The English marched out of the fort, and the Dutch marched in;
just as nine years before the Dutch had marched out and the English had
marched in.
When the King in England heard that New York had been so easily
captured, all the blame was placed on Captain Manning, and after a time
you will see what became of him.
[Illustration: The Dutch Ultimatum.]
Captain Colve took charge of the reconquered province. He began
industriously to undo all that the English had done. The province was
again named New Netherland. The city was called New Orange, in honor of
the Prince of Orange--a prince of Holland, who in a few years was to
marry a daughter of the Duke of York, and who in a few more years was
to be King of England under the title of William III.
Captain Colve put the fort in good condition, repaired the city wall,
made a soldier of every man and drilled them every day. He had the city
gates locked at night, and put a guard at them to see that no one came
in or passed out.
In less than a year, when the city was in shape to be defended, the
English and the Dutch made up their quarrel. The province of New
Netherland was returned to the English, and became again the province of
New York, and the Dutch soldiers left the Island of Manhattan, never
again to return to it in warlike array.
CHAPTER VIII
SOMETHING about the BOLTING ACT
Edmund Andros was sent to govern New York for the Duke of York.
The people complained a good deal because he acted as though he were a
king with absolute power. They asked that they have some voice in the
direction of their affairs. They got up a petition and sent it to the
Duke in England.
"What do the people want?" said the Duke. "If they are not satisfied,
they can always appeal to me." He did not see that they had just
appealed to him, and in vain.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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