DE VRIES, devri.s, DAVID PIETERSZEN. A Dutch colonist. Nothing is known of his early history except that he served for a time as master artilleryman in the Dutch Army. He was a member of an association or company which was organized in 1030 for the purpose of settling the tract of land in the present State of Dela ware bought from the Dutch West India Com pany by Samuel Blommaert and Samuel Godyn in the previous A small settlement was made early in 163], on Lewes Creek, just within ('ape Ilenlopen. and the surrounding country was christened S•aanendaeL In a few months, however, the eolony was destroyed by the Imlbuts, and De Vries- who had been chosen governor or director, found on his arrival (163•1. says Ban croft, "only the rains of the house and its palisades, half eonsumed by fire, and here and there the bones of colonists." lie left a portion of his party there. while he himself spent sonic time in Virginia ; but concluding that the colony would never be a commercial success, lie carried the colonists back to Holland in 1634. lie visit
ed Al•nhattan several times thereafter; attempt ed to establish a patroonship on Staten Island. where in 1640 his settlement was destroyed by the Indians; and for smite time lived on a plan tation. Vriessendael. about 25 miles north of New Amsterdam, un the site of the present Tap pan, N. V. lie published a volume entitled Nort• historiau/ curie Jou•naels nteyeken jaw ran rfr scheyden l'oyayien in der rier Teelen do's Wereldts b'ond• (1655) (..t Short Ilislory and _Votes of a Journal Kept Sereml in the Four Quarters of the Wmqd). Which P011 In ins a valuable account of mud I in New Netherland ditring the administration of Van Twiller and Kieft. The parts of it relating to America have been translated into English. and may be found in vols. and second series, of the Collections of the Neu. York Historical Society.