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Provisional instructions for Jan Paul Jacquet, vice director on the South River of New Netherland and conjoined magistrates.

1.

The aforementioned Jan Paul Jacquet shall have, in our absence, supreme command and authority over all the officers, soldiers, and free people on the aforesaid river and the fortresses thereof; first position and vote in all sessions, which sessions shall only be called by the command and order of the vice director, in which he shall present all matters concerning the administration, justice, trade, privileges and rights, the Company and it supreme directorship, and decide by a majority of votes, and in case of a tie he shall have a double vote.

2.

Next to the vice director, there shall be a council consisting of Andries Hudde, Elmerhuysen Clijn, and both sergeants, if the cases are purely military or actually concerning the Company. However, if the cases are purely civil between free persons and the Company’s servants, then instead of the two sergeants he shall select two of the most capable free persons according to the demands of the case.

3.

In such sessions Andries Hudde, as secretary and surveyor, shall hold the pen, appropriately annotating, registering, and recording all cases, proposals, resolutions, complaints, defaults, attachments, with the reasons thereof, as well as all judgments, sentences, and decisions; and in addition to the vice director, keep a good journal and daybook of all that may happen, what ships or yachts arrive there, what they bring, haul, and transact.

4.

The keys of the fort and magazine shall be entrusted to the vice director wherever he happens to be in the fortifications. He alone shall give the watch word and have all general and special authority, command, and power; and the subordinate officers no more except what is based on the vice director’s orders.

5.

He shall strictly observe and have observed the proclamations and ordinances previously published and issued against the sale of brandy or strong drink to the Indians, concerning the pillaging of gardens or plantations, running into the country, drinking on the Sabbath and blaspheming of the same.

6.

Also, he shall not allow the superior and subordinate officers of the Company, or the soldiers to absent themselves from the fort during the night without special permission, or allow the free people, especially the Swedes who ordinarily reside outside there, to stay inside without his knowledge and permission; and he shall in no way tolerate or allow Fort Casamier to be frequented or viewed too much by the same or by the Indians. He is to observe this in particular with die arrival of foreign ships, yachts or vessels.

7.

He shall in no way tolerate any ships or vessels to sail above or below Fort Casamier in order to carry on any trade or commerce with the Indians or Christians, but rather the same shall be obliged to remain at anchor before or near Fort Casamier, and to trade either there or on shore right next to the fort, for the sake of security and in order to prevent mishaps.

8.

He shall keep in good order and discipline the servants of the Company, closely supervise their training exercises and guard duty, and maintain Fort Casamier in a proper state of defense; however, if any of them should request permission to plant, he may discharge some of them, though their time of duty may not be expired, but on the condition and underwritten signed promise to help defend the fort, if it be necessary, against all and everyone, who may at a future time desire to attack the same. He shall also have all free people residing thereabouts, whether they be there now or should come in the future, promise the same under oath, and in case of refusal to make such a promise, the party is to be sent here at the first opportunity or be removed from there.

9.

In the distribution of land, he shall above all take care that settlements be formed of at least 16 to 20 persons of families together, and in order to prevent avarice for land, he shall, instead of tenths, provisionally collect 12 stivers annually for each morgen of land.

10.

For payment of the considerable expenses and expenditures already incurred and still to be incurred at Fort Casamier, he shall, pursuant to the laudable custom of our fatherland and of these places, demand and extract the tapper’s excise, in conformity to that which is paid here, namely:

For one hogshead of French or Rhenish wine	f20:0
For one ancker of ditto wine	f 4:0
For one ancker of brandy, Spanish wine or distilled spirits	f 7:0
For one tun of overseas beer	f 6:0
Larger and smaller containers in proportion.

He shall also require this excise from those who drink in companies or clubs, but for those who lay it in for their own use he shall require no excise until further notice.

11.

He shall not grant any houses or lots along the marsh side of Fort Casamier, namely, between the kill and the aforesaid fort, or behind the fort, but he shall reserve the land for reinforcements and outworks of the fort; also, in order to promote the settlement on the south side of the fort, he shall, when feasible, lay out a good street behind the houses already erected, and lay out the same in proper order and lots of about 40 to 50 feet wide and one hundred feet long; the streets to be at least 4 to 5 rods wide.

12.

He shall pay close attention to the Swedes who are still there. If any of them should be found to be disaffected toward the honorable Company and our fatherland, he shall with all possible civility have them depart from there, and if possible to send them to this place, in order to prevent any mishaps.

13.

He shall try to associate with the natives with all due civility. At the same time be on guard against them and other foreign nations, and not tolerate that they or others come into the fort with arms or in great numbers; indeed, not allow them to spend the night there, which should also be taken to heart by the inhabitants. However, so that the natives do not have to stay in under the heavens and so that they are given less reason to complain, it would be of service if the servants of the Company and the free people jointly make a bark house outside the fort as lodging for those Indians who are not distinguished sachems.

14.

Also, the vice director is highly recommended at his first arrival to take inventory of the munitions, materials, provisions, and other effects of the Company, and investigate the present commander Dirck Smith, how the same have been managed taken care of since our departure, and to send us at first opportunity a copy thereof with pertinent proof. Thus done and issued at Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland, ady ut supra.

References

Translation: Gehring, C., trans./ed., New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vol. 6, Council Minutes, 1655-1656 (Syracuse: 1995). A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.