Document: LETTER from Matthias Beck, vice-director of Curacao to Don Jan de Salamanca, governor of Havana

Don Jan de Salamanca

Translated from the Spanish into Dutch.[1]

May this find your honor in such excellent health as is wished for by this your servant, who is enjoying the same, thank God, in order to be of service to your honor in anything he is asked to do; for which I hope to have many opportunities in order to repay in part the debt which I owe for the great friendship and honor afforded me by your honor in Puerto Rico. This debt does not only concern me but also my lord Mathias Beck, governor of this island, Bonairo and Aruba (who also shall sign this) for the kindness and favor which your honor extended to a Dutch skipper named Nicolaes Direcksen and the crew of his ship named De Hoope, not only for when they arrived there at the city after having been plundered by a certain Andres de los Reys from Puerto de Santa Maria,[2] but also for having given the aforesaid skipper and crew clearance to go to Spain, and especially the letters and recommendations for the president, magistrates and officials of the bureau of trade in Sevilla dated last February, of which the owners of the aforesaid ship (which came to this place as ordered) have sent us copies, and also informed us that they were aware of the great effort expended by your honor; because the aforesaid Andries de los Reyes was only overtaken and brought back to your honors place after extraordinary actions by a frigate pursuing him toward Campetche.[3] We firmly trust that your honors good intentions will be reward and that the same De los Reyes together with the aforesaid ship De Hoope and cargo (or the proceeds thereof) shall be at your honors disposal. For which reason the aforesaid owners and other interested parties have sent us a power of attorney for the collection thereof, with letters of introduction from their High Mightinesses, the lords States-General and from his Excellency Sr. Don Estevan Deljamara, ambassador of his majesty in The Hague, for your honor, whose hands, God willing, one shall therewith go to kiss as soon as possible in order to receive your honors friendship and favor in whatever can still be proffered there, in the meantime requesting that your honor be pleased not to dispose of the ship and cargo by other means or the proceeds if it has been sold, for it is necessary that it be sent to this place where it was intended to go; and we hope that we shall receive your honors friendship herein and that the articles of peace shall be carried out in which your honors cousin Sr. Don Miguel de Salamanca has worked so much, as is well-known. We pray to the Almighty God that your honors person be granted long years of health etc.

Curacao, 31 December 1659.

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