Henry Hudson and His First Encounter with Indians off of Staten Island, New York

Henry Hudson's First Encounter With Indians off of Staten Island, New York

How easy it is in the light of the present day to smile at the 
unavailing enthusiasm of Hudson and the folly of his scheme ! 
But whatever the motives that led to it the momentous conse- 
quences of that exploration are sufficient to provoke our pro- 
foundest gratitude. After several unsuccessful attempts to find 
such an opening in the land as would indicate what he desired 
to see, he entered the Lower bay and anchored inside of Sandy 
Hook on the 3d day of September, 1609. Though not the first 
to behold, Hudson was the first to penetrate the mysteries of 
the land and water which extended to an unknown distance 
before him. In one boat he visited "Coney Island," and sent an- 
other, containing live men, on an exploring expedition north- 
ward. These men passed through the Narrows, coasted along 
Staten Island, and penetrated some distance into the kills. On 
their return they suddenly encountered two large canoes, con- 
taining twenty-six Indians, who, in their alarm, discharged a 
shower of arrows at the strangers and killed one man, an Eng- 
lishman, named John Coleman, by shooting him in the neck. 
Both parties became frightened, and pulled away from each 
other with all their strength. Coleman's body was taken to 
Sandy Hook and there interred, and the place was called " Cole- 
man's Point." 

Notwithstanding the mishap, as the death of Coleman was 
regarded, the natives proved to be friendly, and freely bartered 
with the strangers such articles as they had to dispose of, 
as tobacco, maize, wild fruits, etc. Hudson remained at anchor 
until the eleventh, when he sailed through the Narrows and 
anchored in the mouth of the great river which now bears his 
name. On the thirteenth he again weighed anchor, and pro- 
ceeded to explore the beautiful stream upon whose bosom he 
was floating; he was eleven days in ascending as far as the site 
of Albany, and as many more in descending. Before starling 
he had had considerable intercourse with the natives, but had al- 
ways prudently kept himself and his men prepared for auv 
emergency, and though the natives frequently came on board 
armed they made no hostile demonstrations; Hudson, however, 
detained two of the Staten Island Indians as hostages, and took 
them with him on the voyage up the river, as far as the site of 
West Point, where they escaped by jumping overboard and 
swimming to the shore. On his way he encountered many of 
the Indians, who, though they manifested a friendly disposi- 
tion, were nevertheless suspected of entertaining hostile inten- 
tions, and it was supposed that the dread with which they 
regarded the arms of their visitors alone restrained them.