Noble, Honorable, highly Esteemed, Wise and very Prudent Lords:
My Lords, this serves as a reply to yours of 17 July, last part. I have tried repeatedly, on your instructions, to maintain a friendship with Mr. d'Hinojosse, which I have expressed many times with Mr. Willems and the schout, van Sweeringen, as well as with Mr. La Grange; however, I cannot have a relationship with the man against his will - patience.
Previously you have also instructed me several times to keep a close watch on Mr. d'Hinojosse's activities, especially with the delay of the ship, de Purmerlander Kerck, as he was usurping the authority and sovereignty of the Company so that according to my judgment these activities were damaging the Company's authority; however, in the future I shall not refer matters to you but make more verbal protests. What Mr. d'Hinojosse reports to you concerning the taking of a false deposition here at Altena is abusive and untrue, as I prove to the contrary with the enclosure. In truth, I have never to my knowledge put pen to paper (in order to have depositions drawn up against him, except for the one in question) before the receipt of the letter - a copy of which I now send. Therefore, it appears strange that he accuses me of trying to undermine him with secret depositions. It has no semblance of truth at all because he produces no proof. On the contrary, I could cite him for attempting to undermine me with his wild accusations.
With regard to the discharged soldiers having taken with them some people: two women and one man; I had truthfully no knowledge of it before their departure. Mr. d'Hinojosse (from what I learn here) goes much too broadly into relating the circumstances of their departure. I have no knowledge of a fourth person. The invention of such great circumstances is not uncommon to him in order to give all his wild writings a luster. Likewise, as he says so broadly and frauduently that our men had placed an Indian in firing position next to them; this is a notorious lie according to the statement of Peter Alrichs and the enclosed depositions. If required, I can also produce depositions from Messrs. La Grange and Willem about the statement of Peter Alrichs.
Also, Mr. d'Hinojosse proceeds very strangely in the circumstances surrounding the schout's affair; the depositions will prove this to you in due time when they are properly examined and compared. What has been done in this affair up to 29 July, I have informed you by way of Peter Lourens.
Yesterday, the 31st of July, I handed a copy of the enclosed petition to the court-messenger in New Amstel with instructions to have the reply written below it or on the reverse side. He sent me the attached reply and kept my document; thus you can see how we are hindered and delayed in this matter so that our previously acquired testimony cannot be fully confirmed and also no more can be taken. Thus we shall have to leave it until you send someone with more authority. The schout goes about daily on the street free and unmolested as usual, with his sword at his side, so I am told. He was notified of his arrest but Jan Weber posted bail for him.
There are two persons in New Amstel who can testify that they heard the court-messenger say why the schout fired the second shot ten minutes after the first one; that is, looking out of his house he thought that he saw another person near his fence, whereupon he fired his gun. However, it was found to be a stump. They will also say that if it had been a man, he also had committed no hostilities nor had used any force against the schout.
While on my way to New Amstel on the first of this, month in order to dispatch Jan de Caper, the court-messenger asked me, in the name of the director and council, for any depositions which I might have concerning the affair of the schout. Whereupon I sent to the messenger the enclosed answer and protest; as a result two members of the court together with Verbraeck as secretary were appointed to take and confirm depositions. If you send the fiscal here, I humbly request that he be accompanied by a minister because there are some children here at Altena and at New Amstel who need to be baptized; also, it has been 2 years since we have celebrated communion here. By so doing you would do us a great service.
My Lords, this serves to request that you send us with the next yachts some merchandise for the purchase of corn, bread grain, bacon and meat for the garrison here, since it is probably that the yachts will make only one or two more trips before winter and the second trip will be too late to bargain for corn.
I also request the positions of the deceased Harmen Hendricx and the fugitive Elias Routs be filled.
When on the 2nd of this month the deponents were summoned before the director and council to swear to their depositions, there arose a great argument between Mr. d'Hinojosse and Hendrick Kip; finally, d'Hinojosse asked whether he had heard no more since he had seen and heard everything, claiming that he did everything impetuously. Whereupon Kip replied, "I also heard that the schout said at Fop Janssen's house that he was sorry to have shot this man since he was innocent." Mr. d'Hinojosse jumped up screaming from his chair, saying that it was not true. Then Factoor said the same thing and that it could be proven that the schout was a man of death. Because of the argument, the deponents remained unsworn when the meeting was adjourned. I have had two depositions sworn concerning this matter which Mr. Factoor can confirm as well as Jan de Kaper, who was sick in bed with a fever and could not come to testify. Deposition No. 5 can be confirmed by the cadet, Dominicus Sybrants, so that in all circumstances it is clearly apparent that the deceased was unjustifiably attacked, and it appears that the hostile declarations of Mr. d'Hinojosse and van Sweringen verifies their inability to gain any results from you, so, they brought it before a lesser official. This case has caused me much trouble and expense because they have dragged matters out so long.
The enclosed depositions were requested by the director and council here; but, before I agreed to this I demanded a "certificate of restitution." They were then copied by them and sent to the fatherland along with the schout's papers (I was so informed by Mr. La Grange) for review by their superiors. Meanwhile, until further orders from you, the schout has been ordered to remove his sword and cease to perform the duties of his office.
With this I commend you to God's protection, remaining, after wishes for a long life and prosperous administration together with cordial greetings,
