Manhattan is an island of New York, still a Dutch possession in 1666: a key port and settlement of the region and a military objective, where the continuation of Dutch rule is decided.
| Type | Island |
| Settlement | New Amsterdam |
| Spanish entry | Manhattan |
Description
The Lenape called it the island of “the many wooded hills”. It was colonized “from the little southern tip” from 1609; the south is now “the bricks, the brick houses”, with New Amsterdam on the tip and “the streets of old Manhattan”. Toward what will be Central Park stands the only surviving Indigenous dwelling, a hemispherical hut: “the home of an Indian, the last of the Manhattan”. “Phantasmal towers” on the skyline disturb the guardian of the place.
Port
Ships lie at anchor, and “important traffic” linked to the Flying Dutchman passes through. Manhattan is “an important settlement to the north” and “key location of the region”; there is a declared purpose to “take Manhattan”.
Purchase
The south of the island was paid to the Lenape with 60 guineas; the named buyer is “the first Peter”. The guardian has visions of this founding: the ships, the purchase, the reduction of the Indigenous people.
Politics
On its soil stands “an embassy of the possibility of resistance”, so the city hosts both Dutch power and its opposition. Manhattan is also said to be “at war with the Andes”.
Conflicting accounts
- A plain purchase, with price and buyer.
- “Manhattan was not bought from the Indians, there were important dealings”: a deal, not a sale.
Open questions
- What the phantasmal towers are.
- Whether “the Andes” is a region or a power, and what kind of war it is.
- The embassy’s builder, adversary and site; the guardian’s name and charge.
- Port traffic, island size and street layout are not recorded.
- Whether the purchase seen in vision is recent or legendary.