Document: Charter-party of the ship De Liefde by John Evans, of New Haven, for a voyage to Barbadoes

This day, date underwritten, before me, Cornelis van Tienhoven, secretary of New Netherland, appeared the honorable Petrus Stuyvesant, director general of New Netherland, Curacao, etc, of the first part, and Mr. Jan Evance, merchant residing at New Haven, of the second part, who in the presence of the undersigned witnesses acknowledged and declared that they had deliberately agreed and contracted about the charter and freighting of the ship De Liefde, belonging to the honorable West India Company, chamber at Amsterdam, in manner and on the conditions hereinafter set forth: The honorable director general above mentioned shall be bound at the expense of the honorable Company to provide the said ship of about fifty lasts burden with proper sails and rigging, sixteen seafaring persons, one or two more or less, and provide them with victuals, and further to equip and deliver the ship in proper order to receive and carry merchandise. The aforesaid general shall be bound, with God's help, to deliver said ship on the last of October at New Haven, where the ship shall lie three weeks to take in and receive under the deck the merchandise which the said merchant shall ship in the said ship, and on the expiration of the said three weeks the ship shall sail direct to Barbadoes and there deliver on shore to those he shall order the merchandise which the above mentioned merchant shall have shipped, and remain there two weeks to discharge the ship.This being effected, the ship shall be at liberty and prosecute her voyage pursuant to the general's orders. For the charter of said ship Mr. Evance promises to pay the honorable general the sum of two thousand, seven hundred and fifty guilders, payable one part in provisions to such amount as the general shall please and the remainder in bills of exchange on Holland. Said merchant promises that the said ship shall not be molested there at New Haven or elsewhere, as long as she shall be in his service, by any claim that may be set up by anyone against the said ship or her masters and consequently shall be free from all attachments and permitted to prosecute her voyage unimpeded. It is likewise expressly stipulated, if the said ship happen to lie or be detained by Mr. Jan Evance or his factor at New Haven or at Barbadoes longer than the lay days hereinbefore specified, that Jan Evance shall pay the wages and rations of the ship's crew, in addition to the contracted freight. Thus done and signed by the respective parties, the 23d of September A°. 1648, in Fort Amsterdam, New Netherland.

P. Stuyvesant
Jn° Evance
Isaac Allerton
Pouwelis Lendersz van die Grift
Cor. van Tienh[ oven ]