Document: Petition of the schout, burgomasters and schepens of New Amsterdam on the subject of their salaries

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To the highly esteemed lord director general and lords high councilors of New Netherland.

The schout, burgomasters, and schepens of this city of Amsterdam show with all due humility, how it is that according to the privileges of this city there shall be an election on.the 2d of February of the [ ] and schepens for the coming [ ] and that your honors have been

pleased to favor this city with nominating a double number, from which your honors are to choose a single number, for which favor we are thankful to your honors. Whereas it is likewise such that it is unknown to us that the predecessors of the current burgomasters and schepens have drawn their intended salary, whether it be with or without your honors’ knowledge, except what can be seen in the accounts of the city ’ s receipts, what wage the suppliants, each in their own capacity, ought to receive; however, in as much as they consider the poor state of the city’s present treasury, and the heavy expenses incurred, and still to be incurred in the strengthening of this city, we request that your honors be pleased to allow that each of us be given an account in the city’s book, and to be credited by the city for their salary, being satisfied, if there is no means of payment present, to wait until such time that a better situation shall present itself, provided that the monies received by our predecessors be returned to the city’s treasury and that they be given credit for it along with us in the city’s book. (Below was written:) Your highly esteemed honors’ servants) and (was signed:) Cornelis van Tienhoven, Allard Antony, Johan- nis van Brugh, Jacob Strijcker.

[ ] having read [ ] at the session, after due deliberation thereon, it was decided, fiat ut petitur.

Done at Fort New Amsterdam in New Netherland, ady ut supra, 25 January 1656.