2 April 1657.
Honorable, Prudent, Pious, Beloved, Faithful.
This serves only as a cover to the accompanying manifests of private goods loaded in the ship Draetvat, [1] together with the lists of the passengers going over in the same ship. Your honors will receive our general letter and other papers with the ships the Vogelsanck and the Goude Meulen, which are ready to put to sea within 5 or 6 days.
Meanwhile,
Honorable, Prudent, Pious, Beloved, Faithful, we commend your honors to God's devine protection,
In Amsterdam, 2 April 1657. Post dato:
Whereas we have resolved in our general letter that the goods which are exported beyond the jurisdiction of the Company, henceforth shall pay one percent, as has been previously practiced; therefore, we hereby want to give your honors advance warning about this, because we are concerned that your honors might already have farmed it out before the arrival of the two following ships, seeing that it is done about this time. Whereby your honors are to conduct yourselves accordingly. Dated as above.
[ ADDRESSED: ]
To the Lord Director General Stuyvesant and Councilors of New Netherland.
[ REVERSE: ]
By the ship the Draetvadt
[ NOTE ON SEPARATE SHEET: ]
Are my lords directors aware that so many visit the ship the Kooperdraatvadt, upon which Jan Bestevaer is skipper, [ destined ] for New Netherland? Just look under the waste hold of the pump and you shall find much lead. In the fore-room you shall find gunpowder. With the ship's gunpowder you shall find still more: shot and guns, and more munitions of war.
Abr. Wilmerdoncx
Ab. de Decker de Jonge
C. van Seventer
