Document: Petition of burgomasters and schepens of New Amsterdam for the further depreciation of wampum currency

[several lines lost] Copy.[i]

[ To the right honorable ] lords director general and councilors of [ N. Netherland ]

Honorable lords:

The burgomasters and schepenen of the city of New Amsterdam in New Netherland respectfully show your honors how they see the large quantity of sewant coming here to this city from New England, to its great profit and to the detriment of this place, because those of New England gain 25 in a hundred on the sewant they bring here; therefore this place is becoming so oversupplied that it is not considered valuable anymore, and the fastidiousness of bakers, brewers, shopkeepers, laborers, and others is so great that one can hardly do business with them with it. Therefore, if your honors think it advisable and serving the community best, they humbly request your honors to temporarily set the sewant at eight white and four black sewant beads a stiver. On which we rely, remaining your honors’ obedient servants, the burgomasters and schepenen of the aforesaid city. Lower stood, by order of the honorable lords burgomasters and schepenen of the aforesaid city, was signed,

Joannes Nevius, secretary

Done in Amsterdam in New Netherland, the 19th of September 1658.

[several lines lost] [ ] the director general and councilors [ request ] the petitioners that [ ] as a separation between man and man [ ] go eight white, and four black [ for ] one stiver, except that concerning outstanding debts that may and must be paid in sewant, the debtors are given 6 weeks’ time; if they don’t satisfy the creditor within that time they will have to pay eight instead of 6 white and four instead of three black sewant beads a stiver.

Done in Fort Amsterdam, dated as above.

P. Stuyvesant Nicasius de Sille Pieter Tonneman

Rights: This translation is provided for education and research purposes, courtesy of the  New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections, Mutual Cultural Heritage Project. Rights may be reserved. Responsibility for securing permissions to distribute, publish, reproduce or other use rest with the user. For additional information see our Copyright and Use Statement Source: New York State Archives. New Netherland. Council. Dutch colonial council minutes, 1638-1665. Series A1809. Volume 8.