Document: Petition of Cornelis Martensz

To the highly esteemed lords directors of the West India Company, chamber at Amsterdam.

With all due respect, Cornelis Martensz, factor, doing business in New Netherland, submits how he, suppliant, from 11 October 1654 until the following 27 November loaded in the ship named the Groote Christoffel the wines specified on the manifest signed by the honorable bookkeeper Jan Babtista Lieffrinck, in order to transport the same to New Netherland (having paid the recognition fee and further duties imposed thereon), where, upon arrival, the fiscal Thienhoven had a mind to seize (as happened several times) from the same wine exproprie authoritate, two half aemen Spanish wine, and two half aemen brandy, on the pretense that the petitioner had laid in more wine than was specified on the manifest by the aforesaid Lieffrinck. Your honors shall be able to see the contrary thereof in the accompanying deposition of Jos Reyersz vander Beets, former pilot on the aforesaid ship, in which it is specifically attested that the petitioner did neither load more wine in the aforesaid ship nor unload more in New Netherland as is also attested in the aforesaid deposition; and [ see ] that the manifest of the aforesaid Lieffrinck agrees totally with the bills of lading of the skipper. And whereas it is clearly evident that the petitioner (notwithstanding the disreputable statements of the fiscal) is completely innocent, and likewise (with all due humility) in a land of laws such disreputable acts ought not be tolerated, the petitioner turns to your honors requesting their good favor by compensating him, petitioner, for the losses suffered by him according to the accompanying account, and further to forbid the aforesaid fiscal from doing such again. So doing etc.

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