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Translation

Burgomasters requesting to be informed what measures have been adopted by the director and council to suppress robberies by English privateers

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Scanned Document:

To the Honorable, Highly Esteemed Director-General and High Council of New Netherland:

Show with all due respect and humility the mayors and schepens of this city of New Amsterdam.

Whereas in our last session on the 10th of February, in the presence of the honorable director-general, Petrus Stuyvesant, some verbal proposals were made to consider measures by which the robberies by the English pirates might be suppressed, which the honorable General promised to communicate to the high council;

Therefore, the mayors and schepens request once more to know what resolutions have been adopted by the director-general and council concerning this matter, for we believe that it should be attended to with all possible speed. In expectation of your honors' reply; below was written: and remain your honors' humble servants; and signed: Arent van Hattem; in the margin was written: Done this 19 February 1654 in session at the City Hall in New Amsterdam, New Netherland; below was written: By order of the mayors and schepens of this city of New Amsterdam; and was signed: Jacob Kip, secretary.[1]

Notes

See The Records of New Amsterdam, 1653-1674, edited by Berthold Fernow, 7 vols., 1897 (reprinted Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1976), 1:165 for the city's record of this petition.

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.