In the year after the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one thousand, six hundred and fifty-four, the 9th of October, before me, Cornelis van Ruyven, appointed secretary in New Netherland for the General Chartered West India Company, appeared the worthy Pieter Lucassen, of the first part, and the Honorable, Valiant Petrus Stuyvesant, director general of New Netherland, Curacao and the islands thereof, of the second part, who, in the presence of the hereinafter named witnesses, declared that they had voluntarily, without persuasion or inducement, in an amicable and friendly manner mutually entered into, made and concluded the following contract in manner and on the terms hereinafter written:
The said Pieter Lucassen sells on the part of himself and his partners the little ship called Abraham's Offerhande, in length from stem to stern 63 feet, in width 29 feet, hull 9 feet, with standing and running rigging, sails, cordage, anchors, cables and whatever further appears by inventory, good and bad as the abovenamed ship now lies and can be seen, to the said honorable general, for account of the directors of the Chartered West India Company, chamber in Amsterdam, who also acknowledges that he has purchased the above named ship Abraham's Offerhande according to the inventory handed to him for the sum of four hundred beavers, and in addition the payment of half the monthly wages earned from the 27th of June to the middle of September, reckoned at 2½ months, amounting in all for the entire ship's crew to fl. 255 net. It is also stipulated that the said Pieter Lucassen shall be allowed to convey the beavers hence to Patria without paying any duty on them. The payment shall be made in the following instalments, to wit: 300 beavers down and the remaining one hundred beavers on the arrival of the expected return ships, the receipt and payment of which 300 beavers the vendor hereby acknowledges. He, the vendor, therefore promises for himself and his partners to free the aforesaid ship from all present and future claims, binding therefor his person and property, submitting the same to all courts and judges All without fraud. Thus done in New Amsterdam in New Netherland, the day and year above written.
The following is the inventory of what is sold with the above mentioned little ship:2 main sails2 foresails with one bonnet1 main topsail2 fore topsails1 spritsail2 mizzen sails2 Prince's flags1 Jack (geusje)4 anchors4 cables and a half1 horse line, 120 fathoms longsome loose cordage1 barrel of tar1 small ball of pitch2 small pedereros, 3 chambers2 iron three-pounders1 ladle, 1 sponge, 1 worm25 balls3 muskets3 cutlasses2 gunner's powder horns2 copper kettles1 metal pot1 mess-spoon, 1 skimmer, etc.1 shallow pan, 1 saucepan1 gridiron1 dozen wooden bowls1 dozen plates
