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Noble, Honorable, Wise, Esteemed and very Discrete Lord.

My Lord.

Your honor’s welcomed letter reached me on the 6th of December 1664,^[1] but it was with sorrow that we learned of the very sad and no less damaging change which the unjust actions of the English nation have inflicted on your honor and all the inhabitants there who have lived and cultivated in Nieuw Nederlandt for so long. We were informed of this in detail by verbal reports of your honor’s son, our friend, not without compassion for your honor and the many parties concerned; and I fear that the same evil may also come to visit us here, unless the Lord is able to stem the arrogance and haughtiness of this nation which manifests itself with disdain and scorn towards the Netherlands, by divinely inspiring the resolution and design of their High Mightinesses. We fervently hope for this and also pray that the honor and reputation of the Netherlands, which faded considerably because of this war, will flourish once again, and that which has already been unjustly lost by these new disputes, may be restored, for which we have already had a good example with the Coast of Guinea (of which your honor will have been informed in more detail by the honorable Director Becks),^[2] and which we trust we will also hear shortly about Nieuw Nederlandt.

The recommendation to place your honor’s worthy son under my instruction, is highly agreeable to me and as favorably accepted as it is earnestly desired by your honor. I am ready and willing, according to the measure of knowledge granted me by God, to do everything in my power for his welfare. His good disposition and well-regulated life induces in me a cordial affection to stimulate him in his education and to be of assistance to him; however, I find him not very inclined thereto, being more inclined towards writing, bookkeeping and things related thereto, in which the honorable lord director is also of help to him. Whatever I can offer therein for the promotion of his knowledge in the Latin language and the fundaments of the Christian religion (towards which he has the strongest inclination) shall not be neglected, be it by private instruction or mutual discourses and close social contact. Your honor may certainly rely on this and rest assured of our faithful concern in this matter. In closing I commend your honor, together with his wife and whole family, to the protection of the Almighty.

Honorable, Wise, Esteemed and very Discrete Lord, your honor’s very devoted friend and servant,

Done at Curaçao,
the 29th of April, 1665, st.no.^[3]

Since writing the above, which we thought would have been dispatched much sooner, and during which time nothing of note has happened, a ship arrived here from Holland on the 15th of June. It has reported that a great deal of effort is being expended in equipping a capital fleet consisting of 150 ships. We expect shortly something beneficial from the execution of this; especially from the fleet of Vice-Admiral de Ruyter, whom we believe shall have visited Nieuw Nederlandt and restored it again to its former state. We have learned by letters from Christoffel^[4] that those of Jamaica are preparing to visit us here, against which we have placed ourselves in such a posture that we have little fear here and hope to turn them away empty-handed; however, we prefer much more to be able to live in peace than to be visited by such guests who never bring anything beneficial. The success and outcome of these great and universal entanglements throughout all Christendom only time will tell. We pray and hope that the great God shall arrange everything for the best of His church and our dear fatherland, and accept your honor with all who adhere to him, in addition to us, under His paternal protection. Dated the 12th of July 1665 in Curaçao.

[ Addressed: ] Esteemed, Wise, Prudent and very Discrete Lords. My Lord Petrus Stuyvesant at the Manhatas.

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.