In 1655, the hostilities between Holland and England having been brought to a close, the Directors of the West India Company again instructed Stuyvesant to promote by every means in his power the commerce between Virginia and the New Netherlands, a matter which they thought devoid of difficulty, as the English were unable to supply the people of the Colony with all of the different kinds of merchandise they required.[1] To encourage the course of trade between the two, Stuyvesant was ordered in 1657 to impose a duty of only one per cent on all commodities shipped from New Netherlands to Virginia. In 1660, the volume of this trade was described as being very great.[2] The vessels from the Dutch province which brought in goods proceeded, as soon as they had secured their cargoes of tobacco, directly to Holland.[3]
When the New Netherlands became a possession of England, the volume of trade between that Colony and Virginia continued to be important. In 1666, Jacob Leisler of the former place put on record in the county court of Rappahannock, a power of attorney authorizing Thomas Hawkins to collect the different debts due him in that part of the country, in the form of bills, bonds, and open accounts.[4] In 1680, Edward Hill of Charles City became the agent of Daniel De Hart of Manhattan Island.[5] Henry Linch, in 1680, entered in the records of Lower Norfolk a power of attorney which he had re-
- ↑ Documents Relating to the Colonial History of New York, vol. XIV, pp. 333, 350. A considerable proportion of the commodities which were now imported into Virginia from New Amsterdam had been brought by way of Holland from the far East. Ibid., p. 385.
- ↑ Ibid., pp. 389, 471.
- ↑ Ibid., vol. XII, p. 328.
- ↑ Records of Rappahannock County, vol. 1663-1668, p. 115, Va. State Library.
- ↑ Records of Henrico County, vol. 1677-1692, p. 170, Va. State Library.
