Page:American Historical Review vol. 6.djvu/709

 Transition from Dutch to English Rule 699 Dutch city court with several papers which outHned the form and named the persons of the new government.' By these documents, the governor aboHshed the offices of schout, burgomaster and schepen, and in place thereof established a corporation governed by a mayor, five aldermen and a sheriff, " according to the custome of England in other his Ma""' Corporacons." Of these seven new officers, the mayor, Thomas Willett, and two of the aldermen were English, while the others were Dutch. Nicholls further extended this new municipal government throughout all Manhattan Island, and gave the new corporation "... full power and authoritye to Rule and Governe as well all the Inhabitants of this Corporacon, as any Strangers, accord- ing to the Generall Lawes of this Governm' and such peculiar Lawes as are, or shall be thought convenient and necessary for the good and Welfare of this his Ma"" CorporaCon ; as also to appoint such under officers, as they shall judge necessary for the orderly execu- tion of Justice. . ." Two days later Nicholls again entered the Dutch municipal court, this time accompanied, as the records say, by " his Hon'' M"' Thomas Willet " and the new officers. One courageous burgomaster objected to the change as contrary to the promise made in the articles of capitulation, but Nicholls speciously argued that he had granted all that the articles provided ; for had he not allowed a new election when the terms of the old officers expired in February last ? This was all he had promised.^ The new officers entered upon their duties on June 15, 1665 : on which day they elected a city constable, made provision for the fencing of the church-yard where hogs had been rooting, and con- tinued in office the Dutch secretary and town sergeants.^ The real changes made by these innovations were more nominal and personal than administrative ; in place of the Dutch titles and persons, Eng- lishmen and English corporation titles were substituted ; but there was little change in the duties of the officers. The English officers passed local ordinances as the Dutch had done ; they elected minor officials, and particularly they established an interesting system of selection from double nominations made by the people of Harlem and the neighboring " farmers ; " ^ they held the municipal courts, tried cases and appointed arbitrators. In all these matters they fol- lowed the Dutch precedents, in some cases even extending the Dutch ^Documentary Htslory of .Yc-m York, I. 602-604 ; Records of N,w Amsterdam, V. 248-251. 2 See ante, p. 695. ^Records of New Amsterdam, V. 252. ^ Ibid., V. 345 ; VI. 4, 15, 92, 150, 184, 207, 296, 361, 374.