Document: Petition of Moses de Silva

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To the esteemed, most wise, and very prudent lords, my lords the directors of the chartered West India Company, chamber at Amsterdam.

Reverently submits and with all due humility Moses da Silva, merchant living within this aforesaid city, how it was that he, petitioner, in May 1655 in this city loaded in the ship named Nieuw Amsterdam, skipper Pieter Dirckssen, destined for New Netherland, forty anckers of brandy marked as in the margin [ .S.J for delivery according to the bills of lading to David Fereira or, in his absence, to Abram de Lucena; and that when the aforesaid ship arrived at Amsterdam in New Netherland, the aforesaid skipper delivered the aforesaid lot of forty anckers to the Company's warehouse contrary to the bills of lading signed by him. Whereupon there arose a dispute and litigation between David Ferera on whom they were consigned to go, [and ] the aforesaid skipper [ who ] was condemned by the lords of the court there to honor his bills of lading, which he, notwithstanding such admonishments and arrest, did not do, and removed the goods from the ship to your honors' warehouse there, as related; therefore, he, the petitioner, respectfully turns to your honors, requesting compensation and payment for the forty anckers, at least for the price which they would have brought in at that time, as is shown by all the papers attached herewith, to which he refers.

Thus doing my lords, etc. was signed Moisses da Silva; at the side it was noted: Referred to the lords accountants to examine the contents of this and the attached papers, and to make a report for the session. Done at the session of the directors of the West India Company in Amsterdam, the twenty-fourth of August 1656. Below was written: By order of the same and signed, C. van Seventer.