Document: Petition of the burgomasters and schepens that a separate sheriff be appointed for the city of New Amsterdam

[several lines lost] of New Netherland.

The burgomasters and schepenen of the city of Amsterdam in New Netherland show with all due respect and reverence how they have been with certainty informed that the honorable lord Van Tienhoven has been discharged from the duties that he has been performing in this country by the honorable lords patroons of this province, and consequently also from the office of schout of this city that he has been filling until now; and whereas the honorable and highly esteemed lords directors of the West India Company in the chamber at Amsterdam and lords and patroons of this province have been pleased to order on 18 May 1654 by their highly esteemed directive (upon the petition thereon submitted both by the commonalty and the predecessors of the petitioners) that the duties of the schout’s office of this city should be separated from the office of fiscal, as can be seen in the copy of the same attached hereto; therefore, the petitioners with all due reverence hereby request of your esteemed honors (as the lord Cornelis van Tienhoven has been discharged from all his offices) that your honors, in keeping with the aforesaid directive be pleased to commission a decent, intelligent and capable person from the citizenry or inhabitants here as schout of this city, whereby justice can be maintained and the flowering of this just-now-commencing city can be more and more promoted. Awaiting hereupon your highly esteemed honors’ favorable disposition and remaining your esteemed honors’ obedient servants, the burgomasters and schepenen of the city of Amsterdam in New Netherland. By order of the burgomasters and schepenen of the aforesaid city, Jacob Kip, secretary.

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.