Translation
Petition of the burgomasters and schepens of New Amsterdam to be able to select a pool from which their successors will be chosen
To the honorable, highly esteemed director-general and high council of New Netherland.
The current mayors and schepens of this city of New Amsterdam show with all due
respect and humility that:
Whereas the petitioners have now served this city of
New Amsterdam in their aforesaid capacity for one year pursuant to the instructions
given by your honors and the time for election is upon us, therefore, they most
humbly request that your honors be pleased to allow the nomination of a double slate
by the aforesaid current mayors and schepens from which a single slate of new mayors
and schepens would be selected and commissioned by your honors so that the bench
would be complete. Also, that your honors be pleased to take into their wise
consideration what salary the mayors and schepens should have for their service; if
this is decided, we can fund the same afterward with other receipts from the
community. In expectation of your honors favorable disposition, we remain, in the
meantime, your highly esteemed honors' humble servants; below was written: Arent van
Hattem, Marten Crigier, P. Lendertsz vander Grift, Wilh. Beeckman, Pieter Wolfertsz;
in the margin was written: Done this 27 January 1654, New Amsterdam, New
Netherland.
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.
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