PETRUS STUYVESANT, Director-General of New Netherland, Curacao, Bonaire, Aruba and their dependencies, and the council, on behalf of the High and Mighty Lords, the States-General of the United Netherlands, together with the honorable Lords-Directors of the General Chartered West India Company, greet all who see or hear this read:[1]
Let it be known that we have commissioned, empowered and authorized, as we hereby commission, empower and authorize Messrs. Augustine Heermans and Resolverd Waldron to address themselves to the honorable lord Josias Fendall, governor of Maryland; and after delivering a copy of this and our letter, to request of him, in a friendly and neighborly way, the restitution and return of those free persons and servants who have fled here from time to time, especially since last year, from the colony of the highly esteemed lords magistrates of the City of Amsterdam, because of debts and otherwise, and who, as reported, have been living mostly under your government. If you do this for us, we give our assurance that we shall do the same for the preservation of justice and neighborly duty, together with those who may run away to us from other neighboring governments. But on the other hand, if you should make exceptions or delay this neighborly proposal and necessary measure, then you, together with the council and all whom this matter concerns in anyway, are notified and informed that we lege talionis shall be forced to publicize and freedom [ 3 free access and recess to all planters, [ ] servants and negroes included who shall or desire to come over to us from your government.
Secondly, our [ ] and ambassadors are commanded [ ] to the governor and his council [ ] occurred concerning [ ] of a certain Colonel Nath[ ] aforesaid colony of New [ ] to suborn and induce [ ] of their High and Mighty Lords' inhabitants of the aforesaid colony to commit sedition and to revolt against their lawful government and nation. Furthermore this was done without exhibiting any legal document, order or commission from any state, prince, parliament or government, but only on a piece of fabricated paper in the form of an instruction without time and place, when and where written or signed by order of any state, prince, parliament or government; demanding our fort and colony of New Amstel, and threatening us with bloodshed if refused; adding thereto that if the aforesaid fort were not surrendered voluntarily within three weeks, it would be attacked and taken by force. This is directly contrary to the second, third, sixteenth and last articles of the confederation and peace agreement concluded between the republics of England and the Netherlands in 1654.2 And whereas we are unable either to deduce or perceive from the aforesaid instructions, delivered by the aforesaid Colonel Nathaniel Utie to the director and council of the aforesaid colony of New Amstel, any higher authority or order for such seditious instigation and seduction of the subjects from their lawful rulers and own nation, much less for the demanding and threatening of such places for which an indisputable right can be proved and demonstrated by a patent granted by the High and Mighty Lords, States-General to the honorable Lords-Directors of the Chartered West India Company [ ] by sale and conveyance [ ] natives and possession of the same for [ ] years. This is then a matter contrary to the laws of nations, and contrary to the aforesaid concluded articles of peace, which until now have been inviolably maintained and for whose judicature and decision on all contentious matters which should arise between the two nations is to be first and foremost settled according to the last article of the peace. Therefore, our aforesaid commissioners have been especially authorized and ordered by the aforesaid governor and his council, by virtue of the aforesaid articles of peace, earnestly to seek right and justice against the aforesaid Colonel Nathaniel Utie, with compensation for expenses already sustained from his capricious demands and threats of bloodshed, in preserving our rights to the lands on the South River and which we hereafter may be forced to do.
We further request by this our open commission that our aforesaid commissioners Augustine Heermans and Resolveerd Waldron, as our trusted ambassadors, according to the law of nations, may be received, heard, and fully accredited; promising to ratify, approve and esteem whatever may be done and transacted pursuant to this commission as if it were done by us ourselves.
Thus done and issued under our usual seal and signature at Amsterdam in New Netherland, 23 September 1659.
