Document: Appointment of Francis Bloodgood to be chief officer of the Dutch inhabitants of Flushing, Heemstede, Rustdorp and Middleburgh

The Governor-General hath this day granted a commission to Francis Bloodgood to be chief officer of the inhabitants of the Dutch Nation dwelling in the Towns of Flushing, Heemstede, Rustdorp and Middelburgh, and their dependencies, whereby said Francis Bloodgood is ordered to make known to the said inhabitants that they, on the first notice of the enemy's approach or the arrival of more than one ship at a time, shall repair, with their arms, immediately to this city on pain as more fully set forth in the Proclamation of the 13th instant, whereof copy shall be transmitted to said Frans Bloodgood. Further, an order is sent to the Schout and Magistrates of Flushing that they inform themselves whether any arms, loaned or furnished for their defence in the time of Governors Stuyvesant, Richard Nicolls, or Francis Lovelace, remain in the possession of any of these inhabitants, which arms they shall deliver up to said Magistrates within the space of 24 hours after notification, to be sent hither, on pain of arbitrary correction.