The province was called New Netherland, and embraced the territory within the 40th and 45th degrees of north latitude.

All persons, excepting the United "New Netherland Company," were prohibited from trading within those limits, under penalty of the confiscation of both vessels and cargoes, and also a fine of fifty thousand Dutch ducats.
The Company immediately erected a trading-house, at the head of navigation of the Hudson river, which as we have mentioned, was then called Prince Maurice's River.

This house was on an island, called Castle Island, a little below the present city of Albany, and was thirty-six feet long and twenty-six feet wide, and was strongly built of logs.

As protection from European buccaneers rather than from the friendly Indians, it was surrounded by a strong stockade, fifty feet square.

This was encircled by a moat eighteen feet wide.