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On the 20th of December 1670 a sachem of Nassawam, who lives near Sachomok, came here to this place. I asked him whether a vessel had been heard of at the South Sea. He informed me that a vessell had been found on the beach near Cincketeck Inlet^[1] belonging to Maryland. Whereupon I ordered Hendrick Drochstraet[ en ], who was going to trade with the Indians, to make careful inquiry about it. He returned the 3rd of January having learned from the Indians that a vessel had been beached when the corn was ripening and that they had found one boat washed high up on the dunes with some goods in it, and that they found a corpse on the beach along with various chests which had washed out of the yacht, and that the vessel lay in pieces in the water against the shore, and that they showed him one of the boats, which the Indians had worked into the inner channel and brought to Sackamock, as well as the arms of the yacht De Jonge Prins. The same Hendrick then proceeded from here to New Castle to report about the yacht. On the 4th of January an Indian came from Sackamock who said: "There are still some beavers and other goods there; come and get them because the English intend to come and take them away." Whereupon Pieter Groenendick along with Herman Cornelisz went there and brought back the beavers and goods which appear on the inventory.^[2]

On the 29th of January Hendrick Drochstraeten came back again from New Castle together with Ule Swensen and Jan Boeyer on their way to the Indians to find out about the people of the sloop. At the same time I received a letter signed by Capt. John Car, Will. Thom and Pieter Alricks requesting of me to accompany them there, which I did. When we arrived there we questioned the Indians who said that they had gone to the place two days after the storm to gather oysters. There they saw the yacht lying broken on the beach and the boat in the dunes and a dead body washed up on the beach, of tall stature, brown hair and a very fat belly. We asked for an Indian with a canoe to take us there which the sachem agreed to for 1 1/2 fathoms of black sewant. We went about 2 Dutch miles further to a place called Sinckoachkinck and because it was very cold and with a strong North West wind, we dared not venture any further in the canoe. We, therefore, had to waste 7 days among the Indians, during which time the water froze, which is at least 3 Dutch miles wide. Afterwards the Indian, whom we had hired, refused to go with us. We could not wait any longer so we took a canoe from the Indians to return to the mainland. We broke through the ice and when we got out in the middle it was open water due to the South wind which came up, and we were in great danger with the ice flowing from one side with the ebb tide and with the wind against the canoe on the other side. Through much exertion, God be praised, we got across. When we returned we went to the aforementioned Indians. We decided to go to the English in Bocquetonorton^[3] because the boat had been taken there by an Englishman who had been among the Indians. We arrived there two days later on the 14th of February. I learned from several inhabitants that some of their neighbors, after having heard from the Indians that a vessel was beached, had gone there and brought back some goods. Therefore I met with a Commissary of Pocomock, whose name is James Weedon now residing in the Hoerkil, of whom I requested a warrant to inquire about the vessel and the goods which were taken from it and to find out where the people might be. This was done, and I went with the warrant to the constable who immediately went with me from house to house. Those who had found something were ordered to tell what they had: one showed us 2 iron bolts from the yacht, another 3 iron bolts and an empty barrel and yet another said that he had found 3 yards of Kersey buried in the sand and seeing a small piece pulled it out of the water. Everything that was shown was of little importance. We also found the boat there with the rowing bench missing, which the Indians said was gone when they found the boat. I have listed in the inventory those pertinent items which each person in Bocquetenorton has in his possession. When the weather improved we rowed the boat from there towards the wreck accompanied by an Indian boy, but the north-east wind came up so that we barely made it to the James Mils Island,^[4] where we were held up by rain and wind. Afterwards we rowed, nevertheless, in the wind. When we came across we went along the beach a good 3 Dutch miles and found the yacht partly covered in the sand. All the hull planks were found strewn along the beach; here and there a piece of the deck; pieces of the yacht, and planks. The capstan lay about an hour's walk from the wreck, which rests obliquely against the shore. We could not find, however, either a body or bones. The people of Bocquetenorton said that they had [      ] the body, but said that the Indians had told them that the wolf had already eaten it. The Indians also told us the same thing when we offered them ten fathoms of sewant and a blanket, if they would show us the body or bones. They said, "the wolf ate it and the bones were covered by sand or water." Lastly we found the gighook which we took along after burning off a short piece of wood still attached to it. In the meantime news of the stranded sloop spread in Maryland. As a result they arrested Jan Deverus of Bocquetenorton because he had been among the Indians without the knowledge of a Commissary, as well as an Indian boy about 16 or 17 years of age who confessed that the Indians had found a quantity of goods and had hidden them. But after having been sent to the Lord of Maryland and examined, they were released. When we arrived in Bocquetenorton they were already in prison and we could learn nothing from either the Indians or the English about the mast, sail, tackling or rigging, for we could not find a trace of mast or rigging when we came back to Bocquetenorton. I then ordered Hendrick Drochstraeten along with Ule Swensen and Jan Boeyer to go again to the Indians and bring back the people who might still be among them and the goods which they still had. I left for Manocken in order to find out about the disposition of the prisoners because there was a rumor that the Indians might have murdered the Christians. When I arrived there I found the prisoners, but since court would not be held for some time I proceeded homeward. I have learned, however, that they have been transferred to Petoxsen, but again set free. [      ] and I then came home. Jan Boeyer together with Uls Swensen and Hendrick remained with the Indians. On the 24th of February they left here for New Castle. On the same day 2 Indians arrived with goods from Sackamock which the aforementioned Hendrick had obtained through threats. On the 26th of February Hendrick himself arrived with more goods. Because there is a suspicion in Maryland and at this place that the people of Jan de Caper's sloop might have been murdered, we the magistrates of this place have convened an inquiry.^[5]

[ Endorsed: ] A Relacion from the Whore Kill about Jan de Capres sloope 1670^[6]

Be it known to whomever it may concern, that whereas there was a suspicion that the persons of the yacht De Jonge Prins out of New York may have been murdered while they were stranded near Inketeck Inlet, we, magistrates of the Hoerkill, not being able to learn the truth, deliberated and, for the execution of justice, assembled the first day of March 1671 twelve of the principle men of this place concerning a few goods which were salvaged by the Indians from Nassaawaam. Having come here to examine the evidence concerning the aforementioned, the verdict is as follows:^[7]

That the few goods in question were found to have been wet from salt water and that because of the evidence and in consideration of other circumstances it is their opinion that the yacht was lost at sea and the people were drowned and not murdered.

Helmanis W.	Helmanis Wiltbanck, Coroner
Sander Moelsteen	James Weedon, Foreman
Ottho Wolgast	Jan Michiels
Willem Klasen[8]	Pieter Gronendick
	Antony Hansen
	Pieter Hansen
	Jacobus Klasen
	Arian Hermens
	Hermen Cornelissen
	John Rots
	Thomas Davies
	Thomas Skidmor
	Willem Klasen

[ Endorsed: ] The Report of the Jury about Jan de Capres sloope 1670^[9]

Notes

References

Translation: Gehring, C. trans./ed., New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch, Vols. 20-21, Delaware Papers: English Period, 1664-1682 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.: 1981).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.