Document: Petiton of Toussain Muyssart against Jan van Welij, Wouter van Twiller, and Jan van Rensselaer

To the honorable lords Directors of the chartered West India Company, chamber at Amsterdam.

No. 17

Humbly shows Toussain Muyssart, merchant at Leiden, one of the participants in the colony named Rensselaerswijck in New Netherland, and for such, also acknowledged by the judgment of their High Mightinesses, can be seen from the annexed [ documents ], how it is that Jan van Welij, Wouter van Twiller, and Jan van Renselaer, hereditary patroon of the aforesaid Colonie Renselaers Wijck, on the one hand doing their duty by him, as required, to let him enjoy his right and justice, are grossly derogating him, the suppliant, in the aforesaid Colonie as well as here, to such a degree that he, the suppliant, is thereby constrained to turn to your honors and respectfully request that your honors, in the name of justice, and in order to preserve the suppliant's right, to grant him, as much as your honors may be pleased to do, open letters of address and recommendation to the Lord Stuyvesant, your honors' director in New Netherland, and to remember the same recommendation in your honors' general letters to his honor, now being dispatched atthe first opportunity; so that he may meet with all due help and favor in hisjust case, in which he, suppliant, shall in all equity propose. So doing etc.

[marginal notation:] The suppliant is referred to the Director General and Councilors of New Netherland to [ ] on the same petition according to justice and equity. Done at the meeting of the directors of the Chartered West India Company, chamber at Amsterdam, the 15th of June 1654. By order of the same in the absence of the advocate, C. van Seventer.