[E.B. O'Callaghan (1849)] Witness Cornelius Van Ruyven, Secretary. On the 6th of Dec. 1660, 1 sent a petition to the Director General and Council, in which in conse-quence of my being confined to my house with a sore leg, I requested them to commit the supervision of the town of New Utrecht to the Heer Tonneman, Scout of New Amsterdam, and to anthorize him, in my stead, to settle all controversies, misdeeds, and difficulties, also to stimulate the people to build dwelling houses, a block house and public pound, and to dig wells for the benefit of the community. My petition was sent to the General by my son Laurens de Sille, on which he sent me word that in 4 or 5 days he would personally go to New Utrecht for the purpose in the first place of putting every tiling in good order. The Lord General in the mean time became sick and matters remained as they had been : I waited for his recovery and intend to wait and see what will follow. I now close this Introduction or Commencement of the Records the Town, all the preceding have been written by myself and my son Laurens as gathered from various sources and memory. I now deliver this book over to Jacob Van Curlaer, Secretary of the town of Utrecht, and to his assis-tant Jan Tomasse, who I desire for our benefit and that of our successors to continue the same in the manner in which it is begun.