Document: Petition of Thomas Willett for leave to pay a gross amount as duty on a cargo of provisions he has imported into New Amsterdam

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

Your honors’ petitioner, Thomas Willet, shows with all due respect how, according to custom, he has come here with some foodstuffs, such as flour, bacon, meat and wheat, and some English merchandise, in order, as before, to trade the same here for other goods and merchandise he needs and whereas it is not his intention [several lines lost] during his [ ] sell or [ ] whereas the petitioner fears that [ ] might get into some trouble, whether it be with the lord fiscal, customs inspector or farmer [ ] to prevent now, he deems it advisable to address himself to your honors with a friendly request to be able to reconcile himself with the fiscal, customs inspector or farmer according to previous practices concerning his export and import recognition fees; more so, whereas your honors’ petitioner would not easily be able to show your honors by manifest what the goods cost him in order to pay according to the value thereof the right recognition fee, your honors’ petitioner in no way being inclined to burden his conscience or to give any displeasure to your honors’ government here, but rather to agree about the one and the other, just as your honors’ petitioner is informed that this is done by those in Holland and England and often is sometimes done there with the farmers, which favor, if acquired by your honors’ petitioner, shall oblige him not only to continue his service to the utmost, which doing, I remain your honors’ willing friend and servant (was signed)

Tho: Willett.

The resolution (for granting of the decision) made on the above requests follows.