THE DIRECTORS 69

When two burghers, Kuyter and Melyn, who
had been leaders of the opposition to Kieft, peti-
tioned Stuyvesant to investigate his conduct,
Stuyvesant supported his predecessor on the
ground that one Director should uphold another,,
At Kieft's instigation he even prosecuted and con-
victed Kuyter and Melyn for seditious attack on
the government. When Melyn asked for grace
till his case could be presented in the Fatherland,
he was threatened, according to his own testimony,
in language like this: "If I knew, Melyn, that you
would divulge our sentence [that of fine and banish-
ment] or bring it before Their High Mightinesses,
I would cause you to be hanged at once on the
highest tree in New Netherland." In another case
the Director said: "It may during my administra-
tion be contemplated to appeal; but if anyone
should do it, I will make him a foot shorter, and
send the pieces to Holland and let him appeal in
that way/'

An answer to this arraignment by the burghers
of New Netherland was written by Van Tien-
hoven, who was sent over to the Netherlands to
defend Stuyvesant; but its value is impaired by the
fact that he was schout fiscaal and interested in
the acquittal of Stuyvesant, whose tool he was,