Translation
Proclamation ordering all strangers to depart the province and forbidding all correspondence with New England
Whereas it is found by experience that, notwithstanding the previously published
order and proclamations, many strangers, yea enemies of this state, attempt to come
within this government without having previously obtained any consent or passport,
and have even presumed to show themselves within this city of N. Orange, also that
many inhabitants of this Province losing sight of and forgetting their oath of
allegiance presume still daily to correspond and exchange letters with the
inhabitants of the neighboring Colonies of New England and other enemies of this
state, whence nothing else can redound but great prejudice and loss to this Province
and it is accordingly necessary that seasonable provision be made therein: Therefore
the Governor-General of New Netherland by and with the advice of his Council renewing
the aforesaid orders and placards enacted on that subject, have deemed it highly
necessary strictly to order and command that all strangers and others of what quality
or nation soever they may be, who have not as yet bound themselves by oath and
promise of fidelity to the present Supreme Government of this Province and been
received by it as good subjects, do within the space of four and twenty hours from
the publication hereof depart from out this Province of New Netherland, and further
interdicting and forbidding any person, not being actually an inhabitant and subject
of this government, to come within this government without first having obtained due
license and passport to that end, on pain and penalty that the contraveners shall not
be considered other than open enemies and spies of this state and consequently be
arbitrarily punished as an example to others; and to the end that they may be the
more easily discovered and found out, all inhabitants of this Province are
interdicted and forbidden henceforth any strangers to harbor or lodge over night in
their houses or dwellings unless they have previous given due communication thereof
to their officer or Magistrate before sunset, under the penalty set forth in the
preceding Proclamation. Furthermore, are the inhabitants of this Province strictly
interdicted and forbidden from this day forward to hold any correspondence with the
inhabitants of the neighboring Colonies of New England and all others actual enemies
of our State, much less afford them supplies of any description on pain of forfeiting
said goods and double the value thereof; likewise to exchange any letters of what
nature soever they may be, without having obtained previous special consent thereto;
therefore, are all messengers, skippers, travelers together with all others whom
these may in any wise concern, most expressly forbidden to take charge of, much less
to deliver, any letters coming from the enemy's places or going thither, but
immediately on their arrival to deliver them into the Secretary's office here in
order to be duly examined, on pain of being fined one hundred guilders in Beaver to
be paid both by the receiver as well as by the deliverer of each letter which
contrary to the tenor hereof shall be exchanged or delivered; and finally are all
officers, justices and magistrates of this Province ordered and commanded to be
careful that these presents be promptly put into execution, and the contraveners duly
prosecuted.
Done Fort Willem Hendrick, this 12th December, 1673.
Published and affixed | ( Signed ), | A. Colve. | |
within this city New Orange | ( Undersigned ), | N. Bayard, Secretary. | |
ady ut supra. |
On the petition presented by the Commissioners appointed over the estate of the late Governor Francis Lovelace, that Mr. Jacobus van de Water may be adjoined to them inasmuch as he can explain many doubtful items; therefore is said Mr. Jacobus van de Water hereby commissioned and qualified, to settle and arrange together with the Commissioners appointed to that end on the 2nd November last, the books and accounts of the aforesaid Lovelace, in like form as said Commissioners are by their previous commission requested to do.
(Signed), | A. Colve. |