Document: Letter from Stuyvesant to a French commander

Holding Institution

Document ID

NYSA_A1810-78_V12_95

Description

New Amsterdam. Letter (French). B. Streyvelaer (?) to director Stuyvesant, complaining of the seizure in the roadstead, of a vessel belonging to the governor of Virginia, and demanding its release. [1658]

Document Date

1658-10-21

Document Date (Date Type)

1658-10-21

Document Type

Letter

Document Type Unlinked

Letter

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Translation

Monsieur,

This serves to inform you that I am greatly astonished that your people have seized a vessel here in our roads belonging to the governor of Virginia. I believe that it was done without your knowledge, in which case, I beg you to return it, and if it was done by your order (which I cannot believe because I have always considered you an honest man), you must bear in mind that you offend both states that of the English as well as ours, because it is directly contrary to the alliance which we have with the king of France; upon which I await your reply. Meanwhile,

I remain,

Amsterdam in New Netherland,21 October 1658.

[ ENDORSED: ]

A letter in French from Go. Stuyvesant to some French Comdnt. here upon the CoastN. Amsterdam NY Oct. 21, 1658.[1]

P. Stuyvesant

Translation Superscripts

[1]: The "NY" indicates that the endorsement was made after the English takeover.

References

From the collections of the New York State Archives, Albany, New York. https://www.archives.nysed.gov/

Translation link see: http://iarchives.nysed.gov/xtf/view?docId=tei/A1810/NYSA_A1810-78_V12_95.xml

Published bound volume is also available: Translated in: Correspondence, 1647-1653, trans. and ed. Charles T. Gehring ("New Netherland Documents Series") (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2000).

Copyright to the published bound volume is held by the Holland Society of New York.
A complete copy of this publication is available on the New Netherland Institute website.