HISTORY OF BROOKLYN. 341

A few days later, Secretary Van Ruyven informs the citizens of Boswyck, of his appointment as clerk of records, etc. His letter, and the formal notification accompanying it, are as follows

Honored and very good friends,

It has pleased the Honorable Governor Richard Nicolls, to order, that all transports, or conveyances, or obligations for real estate, shall be written and sealed by me, upon pain of being held null and void. Therefore, you are requested to publish this notice to the inhabitants of your town, to the end that they may sustain no damage in relation to the subject.

Your friend,
CORNELIS VAN RUYVEN.

New York, June 19, 1665.

Notification.

To forestall, and prevent all misunderstanding, and to have our records kept in a proper manner, all our inhabitants of the Dutch towns of Long Island, are notified and informed, that no transport, deed, or hypothecation of lands, houses or lot, will be held valid, unless they are passed, registered, signed and sealed by Mr. Cornelis Van Ruyven.
Done at Fort James, in New York, June 16, 1665.

This order was followed by another, viz:

To the constable of the town of Bushwick:

By these presents you are, in his Majesty’s name, commanded arid ordered, to call a meeting of the officers of your town, who shall within four months after the first day of June, make out a correct list of all male persons, of the age of 16 years and upwards; and also, a correct list or estimation of the estate of every inhabitant of the town, that he holds in his own right, or for others, according to its true value, designating the same particularly, and to whom it belongs in the town, or elsewhere, as the same can be discovered, and the tenure under which the property is held. And also, an account, or list, of every acre of land in the town, and the true value of the same, and by whom owned, and further the tax each person has to pay, from a pound to a penny, for his land and personal property, and also, a report of the situation of the inhabitants of the town; neatly written in the English language, Hereof fail not, as you will answer for the same,

By me,
WILHELM WELSH,
Chief Clerk.

June 20, 1665.