Document: Appointment of Peter Tonneman to be member of the council

[several lines lost] by us, director general and councilors of New Netherland [ ] recently our council very [ ] the dismissal of [ ] Tienhoven and the necessary [ ] of the lord La Montagne as vice director at Fort Orange, so that our council now only consists of the director general and the first councilor, fiscal Nicasius de Sille, to which is added that in matters in which the first councilor is placed as an interested party, which not only [ ] causes a low esteem of the council of director general and councilors of New Netherland, but also is explained in the worst way by disaffected people when the first councilor is a prosecutor and councilor at the same time [ ] similar reasons. In order to prevent this and in general be more responsible, we have resolved and deemed it good and necessary to provisionally take on a capable person as an assessor [i] until further orders from the lords directors; therefore, having taken notice of the recommendation and preferences of the lords directors for the person of Pieter Tonneman, together with his good comportment since [several lines lost] have taken on as we hereby take on in order to express justly his opinion, to the best of his knowledge, as assessor in our council in all matters brought before us relating to trade, the polity, and military [ ] to have a free, informative, and definitive voice.

[In the margin: For which he shall receive such salary as the lord La Montagne has had.]

Thus done and resolved, the 3rd of January anno 1657 at Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland.

P. Stuyvesant Nicasius de Sille