Privileged West India Company, whether as a corporate body or individually you have given your Director Stuyvesant any order or authority to commit such attempts and illegal excesses in part or all together. And I protest not only against such use of force, violent attempts, damages and losses resulting therefrom to our jurisdiction, pre-eminences, rights and privileges as well as to our lands and estates, injuries, insults and affronts, to which we have already been subjected or may hereafter have to submit, in order to institute proceedings and recover damages for the same, where and in what manner we may determine and we protest against everything, against which for the maintenance of our right and privileges we ought to protest in our own and our colonists' behalf; but we also request under the benefit of this protest, that you issue an order by the ship now going thither for the restitution and return of everything as it was before and that you command and charge your Director to desist from all attempts and recall his placats and if you believe to have any claim, that you proceed therein legally before your and our judges, to whom we have before now complained of your Director's proceedings and where the suit is still undecided. We request also your definitive answer upon every point and in case within twice twenty-four hours you have not answered, then your claimants will be compelled to make their complaint against the said acts of violence, where they shall think most fit. Hereupon the President Paulus Timmerman representing the meeting and acting as spokesman, said to me, the Notary, that they desired a copy and that the Directors would write to their Director Stuyvesant in regard to the matter and that they had no intention to prejudice any one's rights. Done at Amsterdam in the presence of Dirck Danckertsen and Daniel van Ommers as witnesses. Pro copia quod attestor. J. VAN DE VEN, Notary Public. LETTER FROM THE DIRECTORS TO STUYVESANT: WAR WITH ENGLAND; ABUSES IN granting Honorable, Valiant, Pious, Dear and Faithful! Our last letter to you was sent by the small ship "Anna," which was, God help it, captured by the English. It was dated the 6th of August and in it we not only informed you of the present state of affairs with the English here, advising you what to do there, but we sent with it also a goodly supply of war material, of which you were to make use in case of need, as you may learn from the enclosed copy. Since that time the ships "Romayn," "Huys van Breda" and "Gelderse Bloom" have, praise be to God, safely arrived here and we received by them several letters, muniments and other documents sent by you. Time being short, because the ship, which is to bring you this quickly to inform you of the war with England, is already chartered, cannot get our answers ready, so that you will now receive only a partial reply; you may expect a full one with the next ship, also some soldiers and sailors, if they are to be had; the soldiers on the same conditions, as those lately sent, by whom you can supply in due time the we place of the old soldiers, enlisted in New Netherland and without doubt receiving extraordinarily high pay; discharging these you must encourage them to settle there. Last year we would have liked to send you some seamen and one or two ships carpenters, but notwithstanding all our efforts, we could not engage any on account of the extraordinary preparations for war made here; we did not lack the good will and have no doubt, that it will be better now and that we can engage some, when the ships are being made ready to sail for New Netherland. You will please to forward the enclosure to Director Rodenborch by the next ship and to write him, not to fell any more logwood trees or allow any to be exported except for the Company's account, for we observe that the Colonist Jean de Illan and his companions do not intend, as they said, to cultivate the land and plant tobacco, indigo, cotton and other staples, but simply to clear it of the logwood and trade with it and horses to the Caribean Islands; we wish, he had not been so much encouraged herein and that he had not received permission to freight the ship “St Joris," Joris Jansen skipper, with horses, for henceforth we desire, that no more horses shall be exported from Buenairo, Curaçao and Aruba, but that they shall remain there to be used in time in our province of New Netherland. We notice and receive daily information, that the best horses have been taken from the Islands and that in the end there will only be left there a lot of broken down animals; on that account we shall not grant any more colonies there. By the next ship we shall send you the desired placats concerning the building lots on the Manhattans near the fort or in the city of Amsterdam already granted, as well as the uncultivated lands, that you may govern yourselves accordingly, and see that the latter be cultivated. It has never been our intention, nor is it now, that through our mere consent, given to every one, who desires to emigrate there, in proportion to his family, any one should become owner of one or two hundred or more morgens of ground and then leave it uncultivated, thereby preventing others, to whom the land would be convenient and who now must acquire it at an enhanced price. The land asked for must be entered upon within 3 years, the people called for by the conditions brought there within the limited time and hand put to the plough or by default it must return to us for the accommodation of others. Your Honor has misunderstood our intentions in regard to the Colonies of the Honorable van Werckhoven, whose two grants for colonies your Honor supposes to extend 20 miles in a straight line, or your Honor has not read the Exemptions carefully, for all colonists are not to receive more, than four miles on one side of a navigable river or two miles on each side. His Honor van Werckhoven had his choice and could have taken the lands, but as he has not done it, has given it up and gone to Nyack, one half of the same place is granted to him, that he may settle there and act for his best. We shall henceforth not grant any more colonies, as we see that the people demand such extensive tracts. We are greatly surprised, that contrary to our former directions and against our orders you have raised the value of the money in New Netherland and especially that you have asked some private parties here for 25 to 30 thousand guilders in Holland shillings and double stivers. We are not at all pleased with it, for we are by no means so reduced, that our officials should solicit credit for us and engage our territories for it. If anything is to be done here, then you will apply to us and to nobody else, we will attend to the matter in due time. In accordance with your requests we shall pay strict attention to the invoices; you must do the same and not handle them in so slovenly a manner as the last ones, of which copies are enclosed; for in many instances there is no other way to learn, whether the duties have been paid by certain parties and when they come for their merchandise and are called upon to pay up they begin to lament and protest, that they have paid the duties to you, of which there is no evidence. A lot of merchandise has arrived here not entered in the manifests or specified in such a manner, that its obscurity occasions a good deal of trouble between us and the consignees, as you may see by the enclosed extract. The merchants here complain bitterly over the internal duty of four stivers imposed there in addition to the 8 per cent on each merchantable beaver. We are surprised at it, because we had ordered you not to exact more than 8 per cent and to return the balance to those from whom you had received fifteen stivers; even though Director Kieft's actions as well in giving away several bouweries as in charging fifteen stivers for each beaver are in several instances quoted by you as precedents, they have never been approved by us, nor are they now, and it is better to proceed in this matter with modesty, that commerce, just at present threatened by many dangers, may not be discouraged and people disgusted with it, which apparently would cause a depopulation of the country and deprive us of the means to bring emigrants over there. We shall inform you of our views, by which you are to govern your actions, by the next ship. The lawsuit about the sugar prize "Nostre Signore de los Remedios" captured by the "Waterhont" has been brought to an end and we have triumphed. In similar cases in the future you must be very careful to gather the most reliable information as to where the ship has been loaded, by what signores either of the refineries or of the sugar mills and take the greatest care with the papers and invoices, which are of the utmost importance to us. The cargoes often belong to Portugueses, who owe the Company large sums and from whom we can demand them with good reasons. We have been wondering, that the confiscated ship "Nieuw Nederlantsche Fortuyn," has been sent hither by way of English Virginia, although you must have well known, that Baron van der Capellen has a large interest in her; he has now attached her by a mandamus and hauled her up. A lawsuit is now pending about her at the Hague, which seemingly will not be concluded in a short time and which is pushed to the utmost by the said gentleman, who does not look at the expenses. The points involved are of little weight, but the expenses and loss of time will be felt heavily all this might have been prevented, for you might have foreseen it and had sufficient knowledge of the whole case not to let her come here, when you could send her elsewhere. With the ship goods belonging to Garret van de Voorde, Peter Haeck, Isaac Melyn and Christophel van Gangel, were confiscated, although the duties to the Company had been paid, invoices for them had been given and entered in the manifest: by your proceedings you have brought down upon the Company and yourself the hatred of a number of people and any amount of slander and opprobrium. Neither you nor any other judge can be blamed, if after having passed sentence and then receiving contrary evidence they make a change in their sentence; that happens here and at the Hague every day and there can be no doubt, that if anybody's goods are entered in the ship's manifest and he can prove it, he may reclaim his property, when the merchandise of the skippers or consignees are confiscated: that is the rule wherever in Christendom ships sail. The Directors direct therefore, that you return the same goods and are not at all pleased, that it was not done last year upon their order and that in the first instance you have not deposited the money in court, for the loss or not producing of the bill of lading gives no right to confiscate. We have been pleased to learn, that so far you have not had any troubles with the English there and hope you will not have any, but use all honest and fair means to continue the former harmony and keep up your commercial relations, especially with Virginia. That will most likely make the Manhattans flourish and increase in population; this increase will necessitate the fitting out of more ships and people friendly to the country will have better accommodations, when they proceed thither. Yet you must not allow yourself to be misled and deceived and therefore strengthen and repair your forts as well as possible and keep always an eye open, that you may be on guard and in time of need use such means as God and nature has given you. As you desire a good farrier as much needed, we will do our best to find one and send him to you in the next ship. Our attention having been called to some letters, formerly written to us by the late Director Kieft, we find, that he considers the sturgeon and codfishing there very important and that sturgeon may be caught there in such quantities, that the manufacture of caviar* might be carried on as in Moscowy. If this is true, it would be of great importance and might lead to an extensive trade there in fishcaviar and other goods. You will please to give us information and if there is any chance, endeavor to encourage proper parties, that commerce may be promoted in every respect. We understand, that the whalefishery might at some seasons of the year be carried on; if it can be done profitably, it would be very desirable as adding to commerce and might encourage many people, to seek their fortune in New Netherland. Private parties tell us, that many mulberry trees are growing there and that a large number of them might be planted for the cultivation of silkworms. You will please to report hereon and on all the preceding speculations about the welfare of the country, for we hope that out of them we may gather something to bring advantages and profit for the Company and the country. We enclose a copy of the insinuation, made to us in behalf of Jan van Renselaer, Colonist of Renselaerswyck by the Notary van de Venne, which will tell you, what charges are made against you. You must proceed in such matters with caution and save us here from all difficulties as much as possible. Pursuant to the answer given by us we expect from you within a short time further report and reply, also a statement of receipts and expenses, sales of skins, ships, logwood etc made during your administration: you will continue this reports by the Company's officers every year, that we may be posted in and give information about our doings there. Herewith, Honorable etc, we recommend you to God's protection and remain 13th of December 1652. Your good friend The Directors of the West India Company Department of Amsterdam PAULUS TIMMERMAN Herewith also goes a copy of our resolutions concerning the dispatch of the ship "Elbingh" for your government. By order of the same L. VAN SEVENTER 1652. * See Pallas, Voyages and Paolo Giovio de' Pesci Romani. B. F. COUNCIL MINUTES. APPOINTMENT OF CLERK TO THE MUNICIPALITY OF NEW AMSTERDAM JANUARY 27th 1653. Jacob Kip is engaged and authorized to serve as Secretary or Clerk to the Burgomasters and Schepens of New Amsterdam, at a yearly salary of 350 fl or hundred rixdalers, to begin on the next first of February and he is promised the appointment to another good office and salary, if the Lords Directors should send another man for the place. * * * COUNCIL MINUTE. RESOLUTION CONCERNING FARM-SERVANTS, BREWING AND THE PUBLIC SCALES February 18th 1653. * * * * Resolved, that the ordinances concerning farm-servants and the brewing and malting of hard grain be published and posted. It was proposed to put up public scales, as requested by the Burgomasters and Schepen, but no result has been arrived at. COUNCIL MINUTES. ORDER EMPOWERING THE SHERIFF OF GRAVESEND TO PROSECUTE CERTAIN CASES BEFORE THE COURT OF THAT PLACE. RESOLUTION TO PUT UP A WEIGHHOUSE. CHURCH MATTERS. Meeting of the Council February 26th 1653. Present his Honor, the Director-General, La Montagne, Bryan Newton, Fiscal Tienhoven. On the request of Richard Gibbons, Sheriff of Gravesend. The Director-General and Council having seen and read the propositions made by the Sheriff of Gravesend agree to them and consent, that the said Sheriff may prosecute every person concerned by the said propositions before the Magistrates of Gravesend according to law, allowing, however, that any party thinking himself wronged by the sentence of the Magistrates may appeal to the Director-General and Council of New Netherland. On the written request of the Honble Burgomasters and Schepen of the City of New Amsterdam Director-General and Council resolve, that a weighhouse shall be built and that an ordinance shall be considered, when the weighhouse has been erected. They are to procure weights and measures like those of Amsterdam and all other weights and measures in this province shall be regulated by them in conformity with former ordinances and resolution made and published in regard to this matter. Copies of them shall be given to the Burgomasters and Schepens, that in the meantime they may direct the Schout to regulate, weigh or measure all weights, yard and other measures accordingly and stamp them with a mark determined by the Burgomasters and Schepens. |