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Five proposals drawn up for the lords councillors of the island of Curaçao, for the purpose of giving them instructions, on the 6th of January 1643 in Fort Amsterdam, and they are as follows:

As it appears by the honorable lords-directors’ letter^[1] that they are of the mind to maintain the island of Bonnairo, it is therefore ordered that the necessary repairs be made on the fort. Whereas they themselves are unaware of its abandonment and the damage to the salt works,^[2] it is asked whether a new fort and works should be laid out, for which there are few resources, or whether to maintain possession of the island by means of some ships for the sake of the salt, which I believe is the best.^[3]

The fortress Tolckxborgh^[4] (because it was unfit for a proper defense) was demolished by order of the council, when the enemy summoned up this fortress from Bonnairo, in order to give them no resting place if they had visited us. Whether to repair it again or to lay out another one for the protection of the waterholes.

Concerning the natives of the island of Aruba whom their honors order to be kept loyal to them. Whether they should be left there or brought over here at the first opportunity in order to be able to protect them against the violence of the enemy, because it is to be feared that the Spaniard from the mainland shall try to reward them for the affront done to him first in the Marecaibo and recently in the latest cattle raid on the mainland in which the Indians were not of little service to us in the face of the enemy.

The cattle, which were brought back recently from the mainland with great difficulty and danger, and by resolution left on the island of Aruba in order to recover losses, cannot be of service nor realize a profit there, especially because those from the mainland will try to destroy them at the first opportunity as happened previously there and on Bonnairo. Whether it is not advisable to use De Seeven Starre, now that it is unloaded and again ready to sail, to transport as many of them over here as can be properly carried in order to be of service to us in time of need.

Whether they do not find it advisable to keep the yachts Seeven Staer, Neptunus and Paroquiet here until the arrival of the yachts Can and Cemphaen which we expect to see any day now. Accepting this, whether it is not advisable to bring over the rest of the cattle from Aruba aboard the yachts Neptunus and Paroquiet as soon as both yachts are ready so that they do not remain idle in the harbor.

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References

Translation: Gehring, C., trans./ed., Curaçao Papers, 1640-1665 (New Netherland Research Center and the New Netherland Institute: 2011).A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.