and it became his duty to see that this ordinance was properly enforced. Now Cornelius was one of the great person ages of the colony, who managed to lead a free and easy life in the enjoyment of the fat revenues of several sinecures. Among other positions he was both fiscal of the Honorable West India Company and schout of New Amsterdam. The Director General and Council of New Netherlands might enact statutes and the burghers and schepens pass orders and give judgments, but old fat Cornelius paid no attention to them at all and his will was the law of the land. No statute of the colony and no judgment of the law courts received the slightest atten tion in New Amsterdam unless they met with his approval. In vain the burghers petitioned that "a separation of jurisdiction may be made between the fiscal of the Hon orable West India Company and the schout." In vain the burgomasters and schepens com plained "that Fiscal Tienhoven is still filling that place (schout or sheriff), but with so little satisfaction to the body of the burghers and with indifferent respect for us, that we cannot comprehend how said Tienhoven can consistently serve in the office of the schout together with that of fiscal; for in his capacity as fiscal he acts without our knowledge against the burghers, puts them in prison and again discharges them." But Cornelius was powerful enough in spite of them to keep matters in his own hands and to grow rich in office, giving the people just as little as he chose for them to receive. However, conditions changed in 1649. The reform element, emerging into some sort of a citizens' league, remonstrated to the "High and Mighty Lords of the States General of the United Netherlands," and Van Tienhoven was most valiantly scored. "To every one who has business with him, and there is scarcely one but has," it was stated, "he gives a favorable reply, promises assist ance and then assists scarcely anybody, or leads them continually off on some course or the other, except the minister's friends.
In his words and acts he is loose, false, de ceitful and given to lying; prodigal of prom ises, and when it comes to performances nobody is home." So the reformers talked and wrote and remonstrated and were listened to with attention and respect, and Van Tienhoven kept silent and continued to hold his offices and to draw fat salaries. In short, it is evident that it did not suit the convenience of the sheriff to apprehend "the contraveners" of this ordinance. Per haps those who were prone to the "rash drawing of knives, fighting and wounding" were themselves friends of the minister. At any rate the earliest case upon the records of New Amsterdam relating to this statute dates from the year 1655, eight long years after its enactment. Here is the record of it: Wednesday the fourteenth day of April, 1655, the Black Eagle dropped anchor in the harbor of New Amsterdam, after a rough four months' voyage. Of course every man in the crew hastened straight away to the nearest tavern, there to celebrate his safe arrival in the full bumpers before the dread nine o'clock bell should toll the signal at which in those days all "taps" had to be closed. It is evident that they did not con fine their attention to beer, but yielded to the temptation of the good old Holland "schnaps," for at closing time old Jan Schuyver found difficulty in getting rid of his jolly guests. At last he called in the skipper to take off his crew. Young Van Spreckerhoorn no sooner caught sight of his skipper than he insisted upon being paid then and there the whole balance of his wages, so that he might furnish his com panions with one more round of drinks. He would not listen to reason. When refused he raged and stormed, until finally he made a mad rush upon the skipper with a "naked knife" and cut him in the hand. Now Cornelius Van Tienhoven happened to be entertaining a few select friends at a neighboring inn and was greatly disturbed at the noise of these drunken sailors, and
