[ 27th November 1655 ]
[ Today appeared before the noble honorable director general ][ Petrus Stuyves ]ant and the lieutenant of the militia, Peter Wolphertsen, understanding the Indian language, seven Indians from Long Island, among whom one Adam,[1] speaking very good English, and six others with him, who made the following report both in English and Indian:
1. That they were sent by the chief of Marsepain, called Tachpausaan,[2] alias Meautinnemin, in order to offer us absolute friendship, and to say that formerly, in lord Kieft’s time, there was war between us and their nation, and that there were people killed on both sides, on ours and on theirs, but that such must be forgiven and forgotten on both sides.
2. They further declare that in the former differences between their sachem and our nation, as well as between them and the Indians of the Nanicanses,[3] the present sachem’s father, called “one eye,”[4] when he was beaten by our nation in the aforesaid war, had directed and ordered his son, now called Tachpausaan to make peace with the Dutch and the Indians from Narricanses and to keep it, and that he should forget for the future what had happened and that he must not for this reason shed anymore blood in the future. The present sachem has obeyed this command of his father, and has done no harm to the Dutch nation, not even to the value of a dog, and he still intended to continue doing so.
Furthermore, he declares that his chief has been in disputes and at war for almost 12 years now with the Indians, who have done so much damage to our nation since then and now recently; and although this nation considers their chief insignificant and no bigger than a fist, nevertheless, he trusts that they will be strong enough for them, but that until now he has been sitting as with a hanging head. However, he hopes that we shall soon see what he shall do against these Indians. He further says that his sachem did not say that he would assist us against the Indians who last did us damage, but that we would see it presently, and that his chief will not say and promise anymore than he will show and prove it presently. In addition, he presents a small bunch of sewant, which he says has been sent from his sachem Tachpausaan and the chief of the east end of Long Island,[5] with the request that it please be accepted as a token of their friendship and as assurance that whenever we needed their sachem or his people, that we had only to summon them and they would be ready at all times.
He further states that the Indians of the north, namely, those living behind Onckeway[6] and Stamford toward the Fresh River, had been with these Indians when they committed the last massacre on our people, but that there were no Indians from Long Island among them. Ady ut supra.
