Document: Complaint of the fiscal against Jacob Cohen for smuggling

Cornelis van Tienhoven, in his capacity as fiscal of the province of New Netherland, plaintiff against Jacob Cohin, merchant residing within this city of New Amsterdam, defendant

The plaintiff says at the session of the honorable lord director general and councilors of New Netherland that the defendant on 13 December, last past, very early in the morning, sent eleven barrels of tobacco with the boat and sailors of the ship N. Amsterdam, to the aforesaid ship, riding at anchor before this city, without having made the same known to the plaintiff, or without having entered any declaration in the manifest at the Company’s accounting office, much less making known to whom the same was consigned; also, why was the same loaded in the boat at Smits Valey, a place from which it is uncommon, without prior knowledge, to have any goods brought on board. Whereupon the fiscal went on board and found eight barrels in the hold and three on the deck of the aforesaid ship; which tobacco the plaintiff had hauled from the ship and brought into the Company’s warehouse. Whereas such leads to the great detriment and infraction of the rights and prerogatives of the plaintiffs lords and masters, the plaintiff petitions and requests that the aforesaid eleven barrels of tobacco be confiscated by the honorable director general and councilors for the profit of those to whom it belongs, as an example to other defrauders of your honors’ prerogatives. Ady ut supra, Amsterdam in New Netherland. (Was signed:) Cor. van Tienhoven.