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Noble, Honorable, Valiant, Wise,

Prudent and very Discreet Lord.

My Lord. My last letter to your honor was sent with the ship Den Vergulden Meulen, to which I shall refer by the enclosed copy.^[1] Now I find myself owing a reply to your honors’ letters of the 4th and 6th of March,^[2] which I have duly received with the galiot Nieuw Amstel from Mr. Augustijn Heermans, after closing my last letter dated the end of April. We were most saddened to learn that the yacht Diemen, which left here on the 14th of September, last past, with a load of salt for your honor has not yet arrived at your place.^[3] Whether the aforesaid yacht has had to put in at one or another place because of leakage or other reasons causing delay, we have not yet received any news and we are now apprehensive. Although it might finally turn out to be a safe voyage, however without the good results expected from the load of salt if it had arrived as planned, we nevertheless would like to hear whether it has finally arrived safely.

Undoubtedly the bearer of this, Mr. Augustinus Heermans, shall inform your honor more extensively about the immediate possibility and profitability concerning the promotion of the general commerce and mutual correspondence between N. Nederlandt and the Curaçao Islands; and whereas his honor informed me that the new and favorable resolution drawn up by the honorable lords-directors, chamber of Amsterdam, concerning the hauling of salt and horses, was not yet known in Nieuw Nederlandt, therefore I furnished his honor with a copy of it so that it could be of mutual assistance in similar situations. However, the horses would have to be hauled from Aruba, because they cannot be spared from here, and the salt from Bonairo and Curaçao; and unless we run short of materials, we will construct here ourselves another one or two good saltpans better than at St. Jan.^[4] And whereas I have requested materials some time ago, I trust the same shall arrive any day now; just as we hope to accumulate enough salt here so that no ship or freighter shall come from there in vain for salt; as presently I have not agreed to the request of the aforesaid Augustinus Heermans that he take on as much salt at St. Jan in his aforesaid freight-galiot Nieuw Amstel as it can carry; and whereas the salt is too heavy to take on alone as a full load, I have agreed with his honor that he may take on as much dyewood in the aforesaid galiot for the account of the honorable lords-directors at the chamber of Amsterdam, our lords superiors, as he shall be able to carry in addition to this load of salt, subject to such civil freight charges as he and your honor come to agree upon there.

May your honor be pleased to see in the extract from their honors’ letter dated 26 March 1658^[5] what orders concerning dyewood I have received out of the fatherland from our aforesaid lords superiors. Therefore it is my most humble and friendly request that your honor be pleased to send over at once the aforesaid dyewood directly to their honors by the ships or ship departing from there for Amsterdam, for reasons more apparent in their honors’ aforesaid orders, to which I refer for brevity’s sake.

Whereas I understand that the Caribbean muscovado sugar^[6] can be sold there at a higher price than even in Holland, I did not want to miss the opportunity to send your honor seven barrels of it which was traded here for the Company’s account weighing 3789 lbs. net, as appears on the accompanying list;^[7] with the humble request that your honor be pleased to sell it for the maximum benefit and profit of the Company, and to send the net proceeds therefrom over to their honors as soon as possible, or keep it there, if after the sugar’s safe arrival your honor deems this to be the most beneficial and profitable for the Company.

The amount of provisions brought here according to the list with the aforesaid galiot and that which was left here by Mr. Augustijn Heermans, appears on the receipt of the commissary L. van Ruyuen, as it was received here in the Company’s magazine.

We received only three or four stems of the mulberry tree in a tub, and I doubt whether any of them are still substantial enough to grow. They were set in the ground at the farm in a moist place in the same soil in which they were brought here. It could not hurt if some more were sent when the opportunity arises, in hopes that they might arrive in better condition than these.

I am sorry, but I cannot accommodate your honor with any of the old Company Negroes as requested, because twelve of them are occupied at Bonairo under the command of Hans Frederickx cutting dyewood and servicing the saltpans; therefore, there are not enough here to carry out the necessary duties for the Company. As a result it shall be necessary, when the new Negroes from the coast of Africa arrive here, as expected any day now, to select some of them for service to the Company here. I wish that they had come in time so that I could have accommodated your honor by sending some at this favorable opportunity. However, I hope that I do not have to miss any opportunities hereafter for this purpose.

Augustinus Beaulieu, captain of the frigate St. Pieter was here just a few days before the arrival of the aforesaid galiot, when we settled accounts for everything that was left outstanding here.^[8] If I had had your honor’s letters with their information just a little earlier, I could have held those goods here, pursuant to your honor’s instructions, which he took away as the balance on his account; but it is too late now. His honor clearly told me that he was allowed by your honor’s order and warrant to collect it if he did not come here; but not that he was so deeply in debt. However, he refused to receive the balance of his account amounting to f 343,8. He told me that I should give it to the poor if your honor does not ask for it there. This now seems strange to me since he owes 900 guilders to the magazine there. On the other hand, the afore-mentioned f 343,8, which appears here on the Company’s book, can serve as a reduction and the remainder can be requested either here or in N. Nederlandt, wherever he puts ashore first. In the meantime I shall keep these papers here in my safekeeping until further orders from your honor, and send herewith only the account as he settled it with me here.^[9]

I am also sending the bond and manifest of the cargo which I agreed to here with Mr. Augustinus Heermans and shipped off for the Company’s account. I shall refer to these and the other enclosures for brevity’s sake.^[10]

Herewith, noble, honorable, valiant, wise prudent and very discreet lord, I commend your honor, after our most humble respects, together with all those held dear, to the merciful protection of the Almighty, and remain as long as I live,

Curaçao in Fort Amsterdam,
the 16th of May 1659

My Lord,
Your honor’s humble, devoted
servant and friend.

[ Addressed: ] To the Honorable Lord Director General Petrus Stuyvesant.

Notes

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.