Document: Petition of Cornelis van Ruyven requesting to know what percentage is to be allowed him as receiver

Copy.

To the highly esteemed lord Petrus Stuyvesant, director general, and honorable lords councilors of New Netherland.

Highly esteemed honorable lords.

Your esteemed honors know that I, undersigned, former receiver, have taken care of the same office up to now upon the order and commission of your honors and nevertheless served in the office of secretary and that which depends thereon to the satisfaction of your honors (as far as I know), having not only appropriately registered and recorded all resolutions, minutes, and other acts, which, since my arrival here until today, have occurred with my knowledge and presence at the sessions of your honors and outside of it, but also encouraged that all of the same be copied two times, one for your honors to be used here and one to be sent to the esteemed lords directors according to orders and instructions, and besides, many things which were passed before my time and at the secretary’s office [several lines lost] have closed and conveyed [ ] account books, the pains and care of which, especially of the receiving and disbursing of this country’s money (unnecessary to tell your honors in detail, as being aware of it by your own experience) your honors’ discretion does not allow (which, I am certain, that without earning proper provisions or salary for it, would be done), however, because your honors’ express order is necessary for what the petitioner will draw for provision, therefore, he turns to your honors (being those who employed him), reverently requesting in the margin hereof what the petitioner shall be allowed to draw for commission, either over the income, whether it be paid in current money or in goods, or balanced, for which receipts and expenses your honors’ have formerly been pleased to grant 5 percent to the city’s receiver. Your honors be pleased to consider the extraordinary trouble and the loss which occurs with the receiving and disbursing of this country’s money, the calculating of the capital which the petitioner [ ] on the closing of his book [ ] receive in current money [several lines lost] decision[ ] (was signed) [ ]