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[ The mayors and schepens of this city, Martin Cregier, who is absent, excepted, advise and demonstrate upon the propositions made on 13 March 1653. ]

First, whether it is not necessary to enclose, above all, the greater part of this city of New Amsterdam in the most convenient manner with palisades, and after this has been done as speedily as possible to put Fort New Amsterdam into good shape for defense in order to serve as a place of retreat. They offer for the accomplishment of this to provide the sum of 4, 5 or 6 thousand guilders, to be collected from the interested community after completion of the work.

The aforesaid mayors and schepens further propose to the director-general and council, whether it not be expedient to send, besides the already dispatched letters, some special agents to the respective colonies of New England, our neighbors, whose commissioners, so the report goes, are to meet on next April first. They could obtain a speedier and more decisive answer to the aforesaid letters and could offer them personally good and favorable conditions for a continuation of our former neighborly friendship, mutual correspondence and commerce; and they might also ascertain how far they are interested in the regrettable disputes and the European war which has broken out between their High Mightinesses and the present government of England. Thus done and enacted the 15th of March 1653 at New Amsterdam.^[1]
Aernt van Hallem
P.L. van die Grift
Will. Beeckman
Pieter Wolfersen
Maximilianus van Gheel
Allard Anthony

[ The director-general and council of New Netherland having read and considered the propositions of the mayors and ] schepens of this city of New Amsterdam, in which they submit that, above all, the greater part of this city should be strengthened and enclosed with palisades, and the fort be placed in a proper state of defense, offering to contribute 5 to 6 thousand guilders, accept the propositions and the offer even though in some respects they do not agree with the directions of the lords superiors and the resolution adopted yesterday; therefore, for the sake of peace and harmony, they consent that the proposed and requested enclosure shall first be made properly and the defenses, etc. constructed, and the work shall be contracted for and undertaken under the orders and directions of the director-general and council or their deputies and the mayors and schepens or their deputies; the director-general and council appointing herewith out of their number as deputy: the first councillor, Mr. La Montagne, who is to promote this work with the deputies from the magistrates.

Concerning the further proposition to send agents to our neighbors of New England, although the letters sent to the respective colonies of Boston and Pleymuyen^[2] should be sufficient for the purpose; however, as no definite answers have been received so far, the director-general and council agree with the proposition of the mayors and schepens and consent to send properly accredited agents to the respective colonies [ with credentials and instructions to be drawn up by the director-general and council of which the mayors and schepens shall have due information. When these credentials and instructions are ready the director-general and council will consider who to send. Done in council by the director-general and council of New Netherland, 14 March 1653. ]

Notes

References

Translation: Gehring, C., trans./ed., New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vol. 5, Council Minutes, 1652-1654 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1983).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.