This book is a historical account of the earliest colonial days of New York through the records of the Court of Burgomasters and Schepens. It covers the period from 1653 to 1674, chronicling the city's growth and how governance informed the formation of neighborhoods and communities. The minutiae of everyday life, such as determining taxes and licenses, debating the sale of liquor, and determining punishments for offenders of public laws, provides a rich understanding of New Amsterdam's early years. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.