Document: Answer of the directors declining to allow burgomasters and schepens to be able to select a pool from which their successors will be chosem

Reply to the above request:

In the year 1654, 28 January, New Amsterdam, the director-general and council, having carefully considered the petition of the mayors and schepens, have resolved and decided to refuse and delay the request of nomination for important reasons, and for the sake of peace and harmony to continue in office the current mayors and schepens for another year, and only to appoint to the vacant position two other just and capable men, having selected for the present time: Jochem Pietersz Kuyter and Oloff Stevensz Cortlant.

Concerning the other request: in consideration of the troubles and anxieties with the loss of time and private expenses of the mayors and schepens in their official positions, being mostly men who have to provide for their families either by trade, agriculture or manual labor, the director-general and council have to agree to this request and permit that the mayors and schepens shall henceforth draw salaries from the city's revenues, according to their petition, for the annual sum of f350 and f250 respectively. Done at the council of the director-general and council of New Netherland, held at New Amsterdam on the day and year as above; and was signed: P. Stuyvesant, Nicasius de Sille, C. van Werckhoven, La Montangne, Cornelis van Thienhoven.

Rights: This translation is provided for education and research purposes, courtesy of the  New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections, Mutual Cultural Heritage Project. Rights may be reserved. Responsibility for securing permissions to distribute, publish, reproduce or other use rest with the user. For additional information see our Copyright and Use Statement Source: New York State Archives. New Netherland. Council. Dutch colonial council minutes, 1638-1665. Series A1809. Volume 5.