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Ordinance respecting large and small vessels and smuggling^[1]

The honorable director general and council of New Netherland, Curaçao and the islands thereof, residing in New Netherland on behalf of the High and Mighty Lords the States General of the United Netherlands, his Highness of Orange and the honorable directors of the Chartered West India Company, do hereby ordain and enact:

1. That all private yachts, barks, ketches, sloops and boats under fifty lasts,^[2] whether Dutch, English, French, Swedish or others, desiring to anchor under the Manhatans, shall not seek nor have any other roadstead than In front of the city of New Amsterdam, between Capsken's Hoeck and the finger-post near the City Tavern, under penalty of fifty Carolus guilders for the first time after they have been warned; and the large ships may anchor between the said Hoeck and the second finger-post, standing on the way down toward the Smits Valey, under penalty of the like fine.

2. No skippers, merchants or traders, nor any ships on their first arrival, may land, remove, transport or transship any merchandise or wares on shore until the arrived ships are inspected and the goods entered with the honorable general or his honor's deputy.

3. After sunset and before sunrise no ships are allowed to discharge or load, or to send off or receive any boats with goods or merchandise, or for any other purpose, except to convey one of the officers on board or ashore, which must be done in the evening before the ringing of the rogues' bell and in the morning after reveille, and from no other place than forward of and about the sailors' quarters, on pain of forfeiting all goods and merchandise then found in the boat and one pound Flemish in addition.

4. No ships, large or small, shall be allowed to depart without being first inspected and without having given twelve hours ' previous notice and received proper clearance from the honorable general or his deputy, under a penalty of one hundred guilders.

5. No skippers, traders or any one on board the ships shall be permitted to conceal, carry away or transport out of the district of our government any of the Company's servants, free traders or inhabitants of New Netherland, of whatever nation or quality they may be, without a proper pass or permit signed by the director or his deputy, under a penalty of six hundred guilders.

Thus done in council in Fort Amsterdam. Present: the Hon. General Petrus Stuyvesant, the former Hon. Director Willem Kieft, Mr. Dincklagen, Mr. La Montange, Capt. Lieut. Nuton, Jacob Loper, naval storekeeper Paulus Leendersz, and Jan Claesz Bol, captain on the Princes, the 4th of July anno 1647, in New Netherland.

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References

Translation: Scott, K., & Stryker-Rodda, K. (Ed.). New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vol. 4, Council Minutes, 1638-1649 (A. Van Laer, Trans.). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1974.A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.