We, the undersigned inhabitants of the village of Gravesande in the province of New Netherland, your honors’ servants, humbly show that we having assembled in the aforesaid village yesterday, the 8th of July, to make a nomination from which the magistrates might be chosen by your honors for the next term, the order for making this nomination or election (as they arrogantly call it) was said to have come from your honors, but they did not show it to us. Whereupon we, the undersigned, having purchased and paid for our parcels of land and houses there, maintain that we shall and must enjoy the same privileges, as the parties from whom the land or lands were purchased. We find, however, that we are prevented by sinister and illegal means, and for this and other reasons we are compelled to turn to your honors as our only recourse and respectfully request that your honors will for the present suspend the confirmation of these illegal elections, as well as that of the schout, for the following and other reasons, which we will submit to your honors, whenever ordered to do so:
First, your honors’ order to make a selection was not shown to us;
2d, they produced votes of people who are in close confinement for crimes committed by them;
3d, also, of people who have left the place on account of pangs of conscience;
4th, also, of people who have conspired against the country’s government;
5th, they would not allow that an honest Dutchman, who was a hired man, should cast a vote, his master being absent;
6th, they said to several people that no Dutchman should come into the government there, otherwise they would leave;
7th, they firmly promised to nominate both Dutch and English, which turned out to be false;
8th, they demanded that all orders issued by the patentees, who have been magistrates all along and had formerly on account of their misdeeds not only been deported, but also imprisoned, should be strictly obeyed, which we cannot promise to do any further than is required for the welfare of the government under which we live and which sustains us.
Submitting all this to your honors’ consideration and good will for the welfare of this place we remain.
Your honors’ very obedient servants.
(Signed:) Jacobus van Curler, Jacob Hellakers, Luycas van der Liphorst on behalf of Anta Tomas, Louris Jansen, Jan Tomassen, David Provoost as attorney for Pieter Ebel, Cornelis Dircksen Hoochlant, and Dirck Cornelissen. (in the margin was written:) Midwout, the 9th of July of 1655, on Long Island in New Netherland.
The foregoing petition has been entered by order into the register of resolutions, and an answer to it postponed pending further consideration.
