. Our country's story; an elementary history of the United States . hat the land had been granted to theMassachusetts Bay Company, and must be surrendered. Stuy-vesant would not yield, and at last Winthrop presented a letterfrom the English commander, Richard Nicolls, whom the kinghad appointed governor of the territory, and went back to theship. This letter promised that the Dutch might plant as many colonies as tliey choseand have all the privi-leges of English colo-nists, if they would sur-render Manhattan. Let us read it to thepeople, said the coun-cilors. I wont, roared Governor Stuyvesan
. Our country's story; an elementary history of the United States . hat the land had been granted to theMassachusetts Bay Company, and must be surrendered. Stuy-vesant would not yield, and at last Winthrop presented a letterfrom the English commander, Richard Nicolls, whom the kinghad appointed governor of the territory, and went back to theship. This letter promised that the Dutch might plant as many colonies as tliey choseand have all the privi-leges of English colo-nists, if they would sur-render Manhattan. Let us read it to thepeople, said the coun-cilors. I wont, roared Governor Stuyvesant, thumping on the floor with his wooden leg; and straightway he tore the letter into bits. The people heard what he had done, and STUYVESANT TEARS UP NicoLLSs LETTER thcy dcmaudcd to lieai the letter. One of the councilors put the pieces together and read it to them. The West India Company has done little for us, said one. Why should Ave lose our homes and our Uves to hold the landfor them ? demanded cannot hold the land if we would, declared a NEW YORK, DELAWARE, NEW JERSEY 97 We have twenty guns and two hundred, and fifty men; theyhave one hundred and twenty guns and one thousand men. Still Stuyvesant would not yield. The ships sailed mto theNorth River, and the governor marched up the road at the head New Yortof his men to prevent the troops from landing. Thecitizens begged him not to fire. Women and chil-dren crowded around him and pleaded with him notto bring war upon them. He yielded, but he said, I d rather be carried to my grave. So it cameabout that New Amsterdam was no longer a Dutchtown. It lost even its name, for the English kinggave the territory to his brother, the Duke of York,and in 1664 New Amsterdam became New York. Nicolls remained as governor. He was a just, kind-hearted man, always ready to please the people. Whenhe was obHged to go back to England, the New York-ers were as sorry as if they themselves had chosenhim for their governor. Ho
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