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Honorable, Worshipful, Pious, Dear, Faithful.

Our last general letter to you was of the 24^th of July 1653, sent in the Gelderse Blom and in our ship Coninck Salomon, by which we answered several of your letters, namely of the 14^th and 20^th of September and 19^th of November 1652, while later on the 4^th of November 1653 we answered yours of the 7^th of January and 5^th of June of the same year. But as the ship Vaerwel, which was to sail for New Netherland by way of Brazil and Curacao, could not make this voyage on account of the mishap occurred to it at the Texel, the aforesaid letter and enclosures could only be sent by this ship; for brevity's sake we refer to their contents in so far as they do not contradict this letter. In the meantime, God be praised, the ships Graft and the Harringv at have arrived at Rochelle, by which we received your letter of the 6^th of October 1653, to which we shall now reply as briefly and substantially, as the time may permit.^[1]

Your endeavors made to continue the friendship and commerce with the people of Virginia have pleased us very much and we recommend that you make the same efforts in the future with these and your other neighbors. We have no doubt that meanwhile the ships of the Parliament, stationed on that coast and preventing the trade with our people, shall already, or at least before the arrival of this letter, have received different orders from their superiors in England, between whom and the commissioners of our government an alliance and treaty of peace has been agreed upon, subject to the approval of their High Mightinesses the States General. This ratification given with the general consent of the Provinces has been sent to the commissioners in England a few days ago, so that we have deemed it unnecessary to send off the succor demanded for your places, not wishing to create unnecessary expenses, although we had obtained it from the government of this city, as you may learn from our said letter of the 4th of November here enclosed.

The resolutions adopted by you at the general meeting^[2] appear to us very strange and surprising and still more surprising is their publications without our knowledge or approbation. In the first place you proclaim, that all traders shall henceforth not sell their goods, except Indian goods, at a higher advance than one hundred per cent above the price stated in the invoices without adding thereto the freight, duties and other charges. An order indeed as impracticable, as highly injurious for the State, for it is a sure means not only to banish all trade and at the same time deprive the Company to a large extent of their revenues here and in New Netherland, but also to prevent an increase of population and cultivation, for who does not know, that the expectation of gain is the greatest spur for people to go there, as experience has sufficiently taught, while on the other side the fear of moderate and uncertain profits discourages and keeps them at home, as would certainly be the case, if they came there with their cargoes under these circumstances.For they would be in great danger that their goods might be taken away from them, upon which the heaviest expenses are incurred, as freight, duties, fees for the convoys etc. amounting to sixty and more percent, besides insurance and the dangers of the sea. It is easily seen what would be the merchant's profit. We could adduce other and more powerful reasons, however as we believe that commerce doesnot admit ofthe least constraint or limitation, but must be entirely free, as it is among all other nations and countries, we consider it unnecessary and we do not doubt that the high prices will cease and disappear in time, when trade increases and everything is imported there in abundance.

Equally impracticable is your second order, having its source in the first, to wit the lowering and fixing the pay of the journeymen carpenters, masons etc., and the price of provisions, bread, beer and wine. We cannot doubt that your own experience will have taught you the impossibility of carrying it out, for such an order can only give rise to great dissatisfaction and troubles, as well among the journeymen, whom you have rated indiscriminately at a certain day's pay, one however being cheaper at thirty than the other at twenty stivers a day, as among the inn and tavern keepers, and other traders. To prevent this in the future, we have resolved to command that you shall act strictly in accordance with the laudable customs and ordinances of this city (sent you heretofore), at least in so far as the nature and condition of the country and its inhabitants may admit.

The order given by you not to use any good grain in baking or brewing appears to us, under the present circumstances, to be cautious and well conceived and we would also consider it advisable on similar occasions of need to make close and secret investigations as to what quantities of grain may be in private hands there, that you may so much better govern your actions.

We think it would be useful to take some good and practicable measures concerning the freight charges of skippers who carry goods into the interior and we recommend to you therefore to consider this point in such a manner that it will be to the advantage and accommodation of the inhabitants.

You have agreed upon a placard that no trader shall sell or take into the interior any of his goods by retail, unless he engages to remain in the country there, owning a decent house or bouwery, four consecutive years. We can well understand that the traders going there and returning again with their barter bring little profit to the inhabitants, but the remedy proposed by you to prevent it is in our opinion as impracticable, as the preceding, principally in the infancy of a newly opened country, whose growth must be promoted rather by encouraging and unlimited privileges, than by prohibitions and restrictions, for to constrain people to engage in building houses or in farming, who have often neither the means nor the inclination to do it, is repugnant, and to compel them to remain, servile and slavish. However, to benefit the inhabitants as much as possible we have thought it would be convenient and less dangerous for the increase of the country to prepare and pass the following order, to wit, that henceforth no traders coming there shall be allowed to sell or take into the interiors any goods as abovesaid, unless they keep a public shop there. By this measure not only the barterings to a large extent will be prevented, but these traders will also be compelled to contribute to the ordinary and extraordinary taxes, which our inhabitants now pay. You will therefore act accordingly and before we leave this subject let us warn you against passing, much less publishing hereafter any more such or similar orders or rules, before having consulted our opinion in regard to them, for that we consider necessary for the interest of the Company and this government.

We are not pleased with the assertion of the authorities of the Colony of Rensselaerswijck that even in time of need and war they are not obliged to assist; we consider it entirely unfounded, unreasonable and unfair, for under such circumstances, nobody, whatever privileges and exemptions he may have obtained, should be spared or excused, as the daily occurrences in our country here now sufficiently teach us. What further concerns the running expenses for salaries of the civil, ecclesiastical and military officers, the maintaining ofthe fortifications erected and remaining for the support and protection of the community, it is only just and fair that, as the royalties and revenues of the Company there are not sufficient, the inhabitants help in bearing the expenses, as it is done in all other well governed countries and cities.

We are at present engaged in examining the question whether tithes should be exacted from the Colony of Rensselaerswijck, sothat you may expect our opinion concerning it by the first opportunity. But as Van Twiller and others pretend that some more land has been granted there, which is not yet subject to tithes, we have deemed it necessary to direct and recommend to you that you cause the secretary, (we hope Tienhoven has the fullest information on this subject), to make an examination and send us speedily a correct and detailed statement of the parcels of land, granted there from time to time since the beginning with a specification of the conditions, that we may so much better and surer govern ourselves accordingly.

We have decided absolutely to deny the request made by some of our inhabitants, adherents of the Augsburg confession, for a preacher and free exercise of their religion, pursuant to the custom hitherto observed by us and the East India Company, on account of the consequences arising therefrom, and we recommend to you also not to receive any similar petitions, but rather to turn them off in the most civil and least offensive way and to employ all possible but moderate means in order to induce them to listen and finally join the Reformed church and thus live in greater love and harmony among themselves.^[3]

We have been pleased to see the zeal of several of our inhabitants of a new village on Long Island for the Reformed religion and that it may not cool, we have resolved upon their representation to contribute in the beginning f600 yearly and are looking about here for a fit and pious teacher or minister. We have also notified the revered classis here, so that you and the people may expect him by the first opportunity. We are hereby reminded that now and then complaints are made to us of the inconveniences and troubles, to which Domines Johannis Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius are unreasonably exposed there by the irregular and scanty payment of their respective salaries. We are astonished to hear that even the former has to claim an arrear of several thousand guilders, although you had made a special agreement with him that his salary should be paid there, while the other has been sent to you on the same condition: as this has always been your proposition, based upon so good and fair reasons, and was really necessary, as stated before, it surprises us that you take no better care to place these men above want. To prevent this in future, we deem it requisite to charge you herewith and seriously recommend that you satisfy the demands of these persons as best you can there, so that no further complaints are made to us.

We should have stopped here and closed our letter, if we were not frequently embarrassed by not having the general and special account books; we have mentioned this in our previous letters and as we cannot wait any longer, being kept entirely ignorant and blindfolded in regard to the expenses and revenues of the Company there, because to our great astonishment no books of account have been sent over for several years,1 we have considered it highly necessary to charge and command most earnestly that you send over speedily by the first ship not onlythe missing books and accounts, but henceforth also cause to be made a correct and detailed statement of the expenses and revenues, entered there from time to time to be sent to us promptly and without delay every year, that we may act accordingly.

With the ships sailing from here to New Netherland (this sails from Rochelle) we intend to send you a detachment of soldiers, ammunition of war and other necessaries urgently needed there and as three are already loading and two or three are reported to intend taking freight for New Netherland, you may expect all very soon. Meanwhile, Esteemed, Honorable, Pious, Beloved, Loyal, we commend your honor to God's protection and remain,

Amsterdam,
the 12^th of March 1654.

[ADDRESSED:] To the Director and Council in New Netherland. General letter.

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