Research

Translation

Instructions for the management of finances

Series:
Scanned Document:

Instructions for the director and councilors of New Netherland for the management of the Company's finances.

1.

They are to take first an inventory of all the assets of the Company, consisting of money on hand and amounts due, of the provisions, ammunition, equipments, soldiers' clothing and merchandise in the warehouse, of all rents and tenths due and of the lands and houses belonging to the Company.

2.

Out of this inventory they are to make ledgers of the finances, of the cash, debtors, farmers of the revenue, current values and the warehouse, each to have a separate ledger, of the houses, parcels of land and bouweries belonging to the Company, also properly debit and credit the Company and those, who owe tenths etc.

3.

In order, that the receipts and expenses be properly accounted for, the cash account shall be kept in one coin or value, namely Holland currency, the rijxdaeler at 50 and the ducatoon at 63 stivers. All receipts and expenditures in light money, either in sewant or beavers, shall be reduced to the valuation of the cash book by addition or subtraction.

4.

If any slaves, horses, salt or other merchandise shall arrive there from Curacao or elsewhere for account of the Company, they are to be sold publicly, every thing properly labeled, either for cash or on time with sufficient security; but no officer of the Company shall be allowed to take or buy any of them, except at the public sale as above.

5.

Nobody shall buy for account of the Company any provisions, material or other things except with the knowledge and by order of the whole council, nor shall an account or draft be paid, unless approved by the council and signed by two of its members.

6.

No officer or servant of the Company shall be allowed, to buy any land, lots or other valuable property from or make any conveyance to the Company without the consent of the whole council.

7.

No officer or servant of the Company shall farm any of the revenues or have a share in such farming, neither directly or indirectly.

8.

A strict account shall be kept of all export and import duties, for each ship separately with remarks concerning all the parties interested; this must also be done in all cases of confiscation and affecting other privileges of the Company.

9.

They are to take care, that the financial ledgers are at all times kept intelligibly posted up; also, that the books of monthly payments to the soldiers and others are properly charged with what they have received and that the time of their death or discharge be noted against their account. The property left by deceased soldiers and other servants of the Company must be administered for the benefit of the heirs.

10.

They are further to take care that the emoluments, allowed to the Company's officers, remain regulated by the list published in regard to them and they must severely correct and punish all excesses and misuses in this matter.

11.

The persons, to whom the supervision and administration of the finances are specially entrusted, shall be held to report for the information of the Council on the condition of the finances every three months.

12.

They are to close the financial ledgers on the last of December of every year and send them to the fatherland and draw up and send over also a general statement of all revenues and expenditures, received or made by the Company during the year, down to a stiver, reporting the cash on hand and specifying the contents of the warehouses and all other property of the Company.

Thus done and decided at the meeting of the directors of the West India Company, chamber at Amsterdam, the 26th of May, 1657.

Edward Man
Isaack van Beeck

References

A complete copy of this publication is available on theĀ New Netherland Institute website.