Research

Noble, Honorable, Valiant, Wise, Prudent and very Discreet Lords.^[1]

My Lords. Since sending my last letter to your honors dated 21 July^[2] on the ship Den Gidion with skipper Simon Cornelissen Gilde, the Company’s ship De Musch safely arrived from there within the harbor here on 6 September, by which I duly received your honors’ letter of 29 July^[3] and for which this shall serve as a reply, as time permits. First of all, the trouble and strife which your honors have experienced there from the English about the boundaries as well as their unfounded claims, does not only seem to be aimed at the area of N[ ieuw ] Neederlandt, but also at all the territories and [      ] or holdings of the East and West India Company, in Asia, Africa as well as in America; and they make so bold (although without substance) [      ] and therefore it could come to a general war, if their High Mightiness’s the lords States-General, (with all the provinces of the United Netherlands) are unable to bear their abuse any longer, having firmly resolved to oppose their evil designs with force and to uphold the legal rights of the East as well as the West India Company,; having already advanced the proposal, which was made to the English ambassador, to refer and submit these considerations, if there should be any, to the verdict of impartial rulers or mediators, and because the English refuse to do this and are unwilling to come to any equitable accommodation and understanding, at least according to the news from Zeeland dated 6 September that no accommodation had been reached; namely, that our country as well as the English are arming themselves heavily: the English have a strong fleet lying ready before the Downs, but have not yet shown any hostility to any of our ships, and the Lord Admiral van Obdam is standing guard almost before Zeeland with thirty-six powerful warships belonging to the States, also without having undertaken anything yet, with a resolution to attack up there as soon as the English start anything; and it is very clear that it shall come to war when there is no lack of warships to support the Lord Admiral van Obdam.

Eleven East India ships, 3 for Zeeland and 8 for Holland and the Noorder Quartier [      ] valued at fifteen million, had arrived [      ] in Holland, accompanied [      ] 6 warships, which heightened reports greatly. Vice Admirael de Ruyter [ has sailed ] into the Strait^[4] with a fleet in order to check the Turks and the pirates. At Amsterdam there has been a great loss of life because of the plague, and from the Caribbean islands I have received word, according to the aforesaid news of the 6th of September, that 1000 to 1200 people are dying weekly and it increases every week. We beseech the Lord God to transform all the deserved plagues and punishments into His bountiful mercy and blessings.

The Imperial army, combined with the French, have fought a two-day battle in Austria with the Turkish army, driving the Turks from the field and capturing all their cannon, munitions and baggage; the Turks left behind twenty thousand dead. It is said that the Grand Turk himself was with his army. On the Imperial and French side one says that ten thousand were left, among whom were ten principal leaders.^[5]

On the 12th of this September a private ship named De Vergulde Fonteyn arrived here in the harbor (of Amsterdam^[6]) by which we received letters from their honorable lords-superiors dated 24 June;^[7] in addition to a recruitment of 25 soldiers, with some provisions and munitions of war. Among other things they also inform and warn me of the hostile and untrustworthy actions of the English, who not only attacked and seized a private ship named Den Gecroonden Brill, together with two to three Company’s yachts near and in the roadstead before Cabo Verde, but also the fortress of Cabo Verde;^[8] having thus cunningly deprived the Company of this area, they then set sail [      ] for Guinea, undoubtedly [      ] no better intention. Nevertheless, we hope

with God’s assistance [      ] shall be warded off their better. They advise [      ] 3 to 4 ships have arrived from England headed for New England; therefore, [      ] not without [      ] that your honors in particular shall first come to suffer a strong attack at the Manhatans by the English neighbors. As a result I have been given orders that if the ship Den Gidion, commanded by Simon Cornelissen, is still here with the slaves, to make some changes therein by still dispatching him with two hundred slaves, however, not to go directly there but rather to the Suyt Revier;^[9] and after arriving there in the bay near the Hoere Kill,^[10] to send one or two men ashore in a boat in order to find out about the situation at Nieuw Amstel in the colony of the City of Amsterdam;^[11] and if the situation is good, to inform the City’s director^[12] there of his arrival so that he can assure the best for the ship and the Negroes according to circumstances and knowledge of the state of affairs. I have obeyed your honors’ orders in everything as much as possible, as your honors and the City’s director shall be informed in more detail by the enclosed or accompanying letters,^[13] to which I refer for brevity’s sake; even though I would have desired to send the Company’s ship De Musch to your honors with these letters, hoping that Simon Gilde would have arrived there timely and safely with the slaves, so that it could still be returned here in good time with some new produce before winter, because I have here neither salt nor anything else on hand with which I can make good on any cargo. In addition, I only have some crippled slaves left, who are not suitable to use here, much less to send there to your honors. For this reason I was preparing to dispatch it with the aforesaid slaves and other Company’s servants for the [ Caribbean ] islands (according to orders from the honorable lords-superiors) but in the meantime on the 5th of this month Dirck Jansen van Oldenburgh arrived in this harbor with a bark ([      ] Caribbean islands), bringing news (which was related at Guardaloupe by a vessel from the Varginies^[14]) that the aforesaid English ships had already made an attempt and that through your honors’ prudent, valiant and courageous leadership repelled them, sinking one of the frigates with loss of much of its crew; and whereas the aforesaid Dirck Jansen van Oldenburch offered me his bark with which to pursue necessary matters in the Caribbean islands for the service of the Company, provided that I grant them free passage there aboard the aforesaid Company’s ship, hoping that it would arrive there in time to return here with new produce; at the same time there is the great desire, which we harbor here, to know as soon as possible from there of your honors’ and the country’s welfare, and the great courage which the bearer of this, Skipper Jan Pietersen van Dockum, is giving me, by hoping to come as near to your honors’ place as carefully as possible so that he hopes to communicate this information to your honors of danger from the English. Therefore, we decided to send the ship there empty, hoping that it would be sent back here as soon as possible with provisions and those items on the enclosed memorandum which are urgently needed.^[15] Especially since we are now in the rainy months here, and the planted crops have been completely lost because of the drought and already [      ] inhabitants are [      ] for assistance with food, as the bearer of this has been instructed to relate to your honors; and considering these menacing designs of the English, I would not like to deplete our magazine here, but rather put aside a good supply of provisions from sources there or elsewhere which would be able to serve us suitably in any given situation.

It has also been especially pleasing for us here to read about the articles of peace which [ your honors ] have obtained from the Esopus Indians to the great benefit of the territory there.^[16]

Although I was much inclined to send your honors at this opportunity a good and sufficient sample of the mineral, about which even our lords-superiors in the fatherland give us more hope than we ourselves have imagined here, I must, however, delay doing so until such time that expert and experienced people come here, whereby we shall probably see it confirmed, when, God willing, we shall not fail to have your honors share in one or the other, whom our lords-superiors have promised to send us; however, they have not yet arrived. We hope to report the results to your honors with more assurance the next time.

Concerning sugar cane: we have still not planted it in any quantity in order to keep a large or ordinary sugar mill in operation the first year. It will still require a period of another one or two years. However, since the Lord God has been pleased to grant us good rainy years, I have for the time being sent for a sugar mill from the Caribbean islands, and the other equipment [      ] kettles [      ] require for it [      ] be able to acquire it sufficiently from the fatherland. As soon as we have planted so much that we can rely upon sugar products, I shall have enough cane in order to plant as much sugar cane as land can be found here on the island that is suitable; and to the extent that I am able to succeed according to my wish, I therefore shall consider myself fortunate to have the honor, according to your honor’s instructions, to give your honor’s son, Mr. Balthasar Stuyvesant,^[17] the most preferable piece of land thereof; and in addition, not fail, and with your honor’s approval, to help provide him therein with what is necessary for its St. Michiel, Piscadera and the Savonet,^[18] where my brother Willem Beck presently resides towards the west point between the mountains, as could yield no more than fifty thousand pounds of Caribbean sugar, calculating it all together. Time permitting, Dirck Jansen van Oldenburch shall go inspect the one and the other in order better to be able to furnish your honor with a verbal report. The land at St. Joris and the other different places, such as that near the Ruyters Quartier, is all good land and suitable for sugar cane, but only when we have good rainy years, as we have had now for the last two to three years; therefore, I hope that [      ] or the other shall be able to serve for the expansion and improvement [      ] places and the area.

[      ] with sinister actions the Company’s territories on the coast of Guinea, according to the reports of the honorable General Valckenburgh,^[19] not only seeking to disrupt their trade but even to deprive them of their places wherever possible, is quite clear from their hostile actions, already carried out at the aforesaid Cabo Verde, and which they furthermore intend to commit against the coast of Guinea, whereof the aforesaid Valckenburgh has, without a doubt, informed the Company in more detail as he has me. As a result the Company has received, as assistance from their High Mightiness’s, eight capital warships in order not only to support the honorable General Valckenburgh’s request but also to recover Cabo Verde which was so unlawfully seized by the same party, and restore it to its former state. In addition to the aforesaid warships, there are some other capital ships freighted for the coast of Guinea with necessary items which are then destined to come here with slaves. The success and outcome of the one as well as the other we shall learn about shortly.

Among other things, I have noticed in your honor’s welcomed letter the mistake that has been committed here in the trading of your honor’s slaves; especially the small children, since they had been presented for baptism with good intentions by Mrs. Stuyvesant, your honor’s beloved. If I had had the slightest knowledge of this, it would not have happened, as I believe [      ] there also completely [      ] so that I am sorry [      ] a great error has been committed which I fear is irreparable, because it happened so long ago that one will hardly be able to find out where they finally ended up; however, I shall make inquiries with the first ship that leaves here for Cartagena and Porto Bello, and if possible, try to get them back, even if I have to give two full grown slaves and more for them.

According to your honor’s recommendation I have increased the salary of the bearer of this, Skipper Jan Pietersen van Dockum, on the books here upon his arrival; therefore, since that time he has been earning forty guilders per month.

Although I am also well-disposed, according to your honor’s recommenddation, to grant the request of your honor’s Captain-Lieutenant Marten Croeger for the purpose that his son might be employed here in the office, since then one of the cousins of the lord director Abraham Wilmerdonck^[20] [ has arrived ] aboard the most recent ship De Vergulde Fonteyn. His name is Pieter van Ruyven, brother of the commissary Van Ruyven,^[21] and he has been recommended to me by the aforesaid lord to be employed here provisionally by his aforesaid brother as a clerk. Then I have another clerk named Johannes de Koninck, formally a servant and the cousin of Johannes Roodenburgh. If one of the aforesaid two can be employed there by your honor in the secretary’s office, then we [      ] of an exchange and could accommodate one of the others with [      ] and approval, because [      ] is more trouble than [      ].

Among other things I have also learned the reasons why the Company’s ship De Musch had been detained by your honor for almost a month; the main one being the ominous rumors about the aforesaid English frigates. May God grant that your honor has not yet suffered any damage from them and that they have been repulsed by your honor with losses, according to the report which we have about it here. The provisions, lumber and everything else sent here, according to the inventories, have been duly received with satisfaction; and because the ship is so small and has little carrying capacity, we shall record only the most necessary items in a memorandum at this time.

It would be desirable for the Company that the English have been stopped in their designs on the coast of Guinea, as is hoped for, and by these means [      ] and more slaves can be brought here; since the factors of the Genoese lords, who are residing here for this purpose, have been sufficiently provided with those required by them, because, in addition to a large ship which left this harbor for Cartagena on the 17^th of August with over six hundred choice slaves, another of their largest ships arrived from there on the 16th of September with the sole purpose of waiting here for slaves. Therefore, we were hoping that this ship De Musch could be returned here with provisions as soon as possible, both out of consideration for the slaves who [      ] here as well as for bolstering [      ] magazine [      ] not without [      ] with envy that they might also bring their business to this place. Whatever your honor may have found out about this indirectly, we would be grateful to learn in your honor’s response to this; and whether we should also be on guard here, in this way one or the other will not be given too much attention.

We have duly received, according to the accompanying inventory, the parcels of goods with which your honor has been pleased to honor us, and we thank your honor immeasurably for them, and I and my wife deeply regret that we have nothing to send at this time as an acknowledgement of them. We humbly request that the trifles which the bearer of this has been instructed to place in your honor’s hands be received favorably, hoping that if the Lord God keeps us healthy, we shall be able to acknowledge more, on another occasion, the unmerited honor and favor bestowed on us by your honor.

Herewith,

Noble, Honorable, Valiant, Wise, Prudent and very Discreet Lord, we pray that the Lord God will continue to preserve your honor’s person in good health and prosperity under His most merciful [      ] and protection, together with [      ] your honor’s beloved and loved ones [      ] all our greetings and humble respects.

Curaçao in Fort Amsterdam,
the 5th of November 1664.

My Lord, Your honor’s most
devoted servant and friend.
M. Beck.

My Lord.

Whereas your honor reminded me at the end of his welcomed letter to advise his honor whether it would be a disservice to the Company here to sell some peas, flour, biscuits, meat and bacon to private parties, be they foreigners or residents, and in what quantities and at what prices; therefore, I cannot neglect offering your honor my humble response that such commodities have been sold and desired here from time to time, but in no quantity because the residents, by and largely Jews, [      ] received provisions for themselves out of Holland [      ] bought now and then [      ] the pound [      ] pound, meat and bacon because there is an abundance of young stock here; therefore, it is not marketable to private parties, and there is little consumption of peas, unless the Genoese may require some now and then for their ships, and they are so niggardly and stingy that they would pay at the most no more than eight shillings for a skipple. However, if your honor can reckon on some profit at these prices and if your honor is pleased to make a trial of it, I shall gladly help arrange the sale thereof to the best of my ability, but please do not count on a higher price than stated. It is not desirable to have more than five to six barrels of fine boulted flour sent each time; however, three to four thousand pounds of wheat flour may be sent; and no more than one hundred skipples of peas at one time, because no quantity can be traded to private parties; and at the aforesaid prices, whenever the Company’s magazine is depleted, as is want to happen, your honor would then be able to have the [      ] before another, according to instructions.

Herewith are being sent the following small items which Skipper Jan Pietersen van Dockum has been instructed to place in your honor’s hands, on the account of more [      ]:

[      ] casks of Curaçao sugar

[      ] fine [      ]

[      ] lemons

Some oranges and lemons 434 conch^[22]

Also being sent is a consignment of 200 pieces of eight which I have received for your honor’s share from our goat and sheep holdings, since the last cash was sent over. I have been to St. Crous and everywhere inspecting with Dirck Jansen van Oldenburgh so that he is able to give your honor a good verbal report of everything that he experiences, to which I refer for brevity’s sake. Herewith I once again commend my gracious lord to the merciful and blessed protection of the Almighty, after greetings and humble respect from all of us, and remain,

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