Translation
Remonstrance of the colonies and villages in this province of New Netherland
Translation[1] To the right
honorable, the Director-General and Council of New Netherland on the behalf of the
noble High and Mighty Lords States-General of the United Provinces.
1. The humble remonstrance and petition of the colonies and villages
in this New Netherland Province,
Humbly shows:
First of all, we
acknowledge a paternal government which God (in nature) has established in the world
for the maintenance and preservation of peace and the good of mankind, not only
agreeably to nature's laws, but in accordance with the rules and precepts of God to
which we consider ourselves bound by His word, whereunto we submit. God the Lord,
having entrusted the States-General as His ministers with the High and Mighty power
which we gratefully acknowledge to promote the welfare of their subjects, both of
those within the United Provinces and in the foreign settlements thereunto be
longing, and these having by their power and authority, commissioned, for the same
purpose, some subaltern magistrates such as the directors of the Chartered West India
Company, whom we acknowledge as lords-superiors of this place, with you as their
representatives.
We therefore humbly conceive our privileges to be the same,
harmonizing in every respect with those of the Netherlands, being a member dependent
on that state and not a conquered or subjugated people, but settled here on a mutual
covenant and contract entered into with the lords-superiors with the consent of the
natives, the original proprietors of these lands from whom we purchased the soil with
our own money- a portion thereof which we now possess, have we, with immense labor
and trouble and at our particular cost, transformed from a wilderness of woods and
erected into a few small villages (with several farms), by a strict observance of the
freedoms and privileges already granted. Expecting every enlargement and
amplification, but no abridgement thereof, and deeply honoring and respecting the
government of the Netherlands made up of various nations from divers quarters of the
globe, leaving at our own expense our country and countrymen, we voluntarily repaired
under its protection or
2. shelter, being now incorporated, as it were one body,
under our sovereigns, the high and mighty, lords
States-General, whom we acknowledge as our rulers, with due subjection to the
general laws of the United Provinces of the Netherlands, and all other new orders and
authority aforesaid, will be enacted here conformable to the customs, freedoms,
grants and privileges of the Netherlands. This being promised,
3. we humbly pray that this our remonstrance and petition be
received and construed favorably and not interpreted sinisterly, but rather
advantageously We shall, therefore, frankly declare, with all humility, our
apprehension and alarm which for some time have crushed our spirit and dis heartened
us in our labors and callings, so that we, being in a wilderness, are unable to
promote the good of the country with the same zeal and inclination as heretofore; the
reasons whereof are as follows:
4. FIRST, our apprehension
of the establishment of an arbitrary government among us. It is contrary to
the first intentions and genuine principles of every well-regulated government that
one or more men should assume the exclusive power to dispose, at will, of the life
and property of any individual, and this by virtue or under pretense of a law or
order which he or they might enact without the consent, knowledge or election of the
whole body or its agents or representatives. Hence the enactment, except as
aforesaid, of new laws or orders affecting the commonalty, or the inhabitants, their
lives or property, is contrary and opposed to the granted freedoms of the Dutch
government and odious to every freeborn man, and principally so to those whom God has
placed in a free state on newly settled lands, which might require new laws and
orders, not transcending, but resembling as near as possible those of the
Netherlands. We humbly submit that it is one of our privileges that our consent or
that of our representatives is necessarily required in the enactment of such laws and
orders.
SECOND, we have been expecting, usually every year, that a new war will
again be started by the natives of this country,
5. from the murders they have
committed under the pretext that they have not been paid for
their lands. This is the cause of many troubles and discouragements to the
country, besides great loss and interruption to the inhabitants in their labor. We
have been unable thus far to arrive at a precise knowledge thereof or to ascertain to
what nation these
6. murders belong; but their acts are
commonly disregarded, as those of Indians living at a great distance which
fills us
7. daily with anxieties, so that we are compelled to stand on our own guard and cannot perceive how we are to protect our
lives and property in any general way except by our own means.
8. THIRD, that officers and magistrates, although they may be
deserving of such honors by their personal qualifications, are appointed (contrary to
the laws of the Netherlands) to various offices without the consent of or nomination
by the people whom the matter most affects or concerns.
9. FOURTH, that many orders or proclamations have been made heretofore
by the authority of the director and council alone (without the approval of the
country). We are entirely ignorant about which are or are not in force, and
consequently know not when we violate them, but commit many offences in our
ignorance, to the injury and ruin of ourselves and families.
10. FIFTH. On the promises of deeds and a general patent of freedoms
and privileges, various plantations have been made at great expense and labor of the
inhabitants with the building of houses, fences and other things, and with the
cultivation and preparation of the soil; for example, that of Middelborgh, Midtwout
and the dependencies thereof, in addition to several other places and individual
farms which petitioned for general and private deeds; however, to their great expense
by having to make several trips because of being put off with delays from time to
time, there is a suspicion of revision as if conditions will be established other
than the previous ones.
11. SIXTHLY. That a quantity of land was given or granted
to some person or persons for their own use, upon which an entire village or hamlet
of about 20 or 30 families might have been established. This can only lead to a great
loss of future income or revenue for the lords-superiors, and at present weaken the
country greatly, which (under such circumstances) cannot be defended by us unless
villages or settlements are formed or established.
Having covered our troubles or problems under six points or articles, for easy reference, we shall swear [ to them ] in the hope that satisfaction will be granted to the country according to established justice, and that all received secret claims and damages be quieted and compensated for. Therefore, having revealed our problems (under which we labor), we apply ourselves to your wisdom for the remedy, for which, when done, we shall remain thankful; it being unnecessary to apply any further, which we shall do if need be. Wherefore we humbly request your honors' reply to each point or article in particular so that we may be accordingly satisfied or proceed further, as God shall direct us. Done this 11 December 1653 in Amsterdam. Below stood: Your honors' humble servants, Arent van Hattem, Martin Krigier, P. L. van die Grift, Will. Beeckman, Pieter Wolfersen, Geo. Baxter, J. Hubbard, John Hickes, Tobias Feke, Robert Coo, Tomas H. Hassard, Willem Wasborn, John Seaman, Tomas Spicer, Elbert Elbertsen, Frederick Lubbertsen, Paulus vander Beecke, Tomas Swartwout and Jan Strycker.[2]