n. 1  something that is produced by a cause or agent; result. 2  power or ability to influence or produce a result; efficacy. 3  the condition of being operative (esp in the phrases in or into effect)  take effect â to become operative or begin to produce 1  results. basic meaning or purpose (esp in the phrase to that effect)
New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw-Amsterdam) was a 17th-century Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, which served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The factorij became a settlement outside of Fort Amsterdam. Situated on the strategic, fortifiable southern tip of the island of Manhattan, the fort was meant to defend the Dutch West India Company's fur trade operations in the North River (Hudson River).
Small trading colonies sprang up where the present towns of Hoboken and Jersey City are located. The Dutch, Swedes, and Finns were the first European settlers in New Jersey. Bergen, founded in 1660, was New Jersey's first permanent European settlement. In 1664 the Dutch lost New Netherlands when the British took control of the land and added it to their colonies.