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Appeal of Jacobus Vis of a judgment of the court at New Amsterdam in favor of Hans Steyn

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Scanned Document:

Petrus Stuyvesandt, on behalf of their honorable High Mightinesses the lords States General of the United Netherlands and the lords directors of the Chartered West India Company, chamber of Amsterdam, director general of N. Netherland, Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba and the dependencies thereof, together with the honorable lords councilors, have summoned hereto the court messenger, Claes van Elslant, greetings.

Whereas Jacobus Vis has remonstrated to us by petition that he finds himself greatly injured and aggrieved by the judgment handed down by the honorable court of this city dated 13 December, last past, between him and Hans Steyn for reasons detailed in the attached copy of the petition. For which he requests our assistance.[1]

Therefore, we order you to summon the aforesaid Hans Steyn to appear, or to send a deputy, before us here in Fort Amsterdam on Thursday being the 26th of this month in order to respond to such demands and rejoinders which the aforesaid Jacobus Vis shall make and effect at that time, inviting those of the aforesaid court to appear (if it pleases them) on the aforementioned day, or to send deputies to see us annul or confirm the aforesaid judgment; providing copies for use of the parties, and relating to us what you encounter.[2]

Issued in Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland, the 12th of January 1662.

Notes

The court upheld the judgment of arbitrators Tymotheus Gabry and Joannes van Brugh who had decided that Vis was to pay Steyn a certain balance in their account, plus court costs. See RNA, 3:426.
Though the council minutes for this case are damaged, it would appear that the council upheld the court’s decision; see NYCM, 101:24.

References

Translation: Gehring, C., trans./ed., New Netherland Documents Series: Vol. 16, part 1, Laws and Writs of Appeal, 1647-1663 (Syracuse: 1991).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.