Document: Amnesty granted to deserters who will return within two months

[several lines lost] Fort Orange, the lord Johannis La Montagne.

The director general and councilors of New Netherland, having taken into consideration the petition of some fugitive soldiers, who were absent from their garrison for some time and were living in or around New England, requesting a pardon to be allowed to return to their garrison and service, have, for pregnant reasons, deemed it advisable to allow them the same; therefore, with these, their open letters and the postings, declaring and promising that all of them, whosoever they might be named and whenever deserted, within the time of two consecutive months from this date, return to their garrison and service, shall receive and enjoy an absolute pardon and mercy for what happened; hereby ordering their fiscal to let all of them enjoy our unconditional and absolute pardon without any trouble; and against those others who refuse our mercy and favor and obstinately absent themselves from their garrisons and service, to proceed and institute proceedings according to military law, whether it be by apprehension, posting of their names to the [several lines lost]

Pieter Tonneman