Document: Order of the director and council calling on the burgomasters and schepens to explain why they had not nominated any of the company's servants

[several lines lost] schepenen it is [ ] to send a written [ ]

For the [ present ] time the director general and councilors approve of the nomination in the form and manner as it now was made and signed, and therefore they will in proper time choose some persons from it, of whom they hope will be competent. But as the director general and councilors were orally informed and advised by their deputy that the burgomasters and schepenen openly express that no Company servants may be nominated, they hereby demanded to explain exactly why not, if they would be as competent for it as others; all the more, since it is directly against the usual order in our fatherland that those in the service of the Company, yes, of the country, are also used in the service of the city. This nullifies and opposes especially the director general’s and councilors’favor of the great burgher right, which implies that all of those (provided that, consistent with the instruction, they are adherents and advocates of the Reformed doctrine) and only such people may be admitted to the city’s service, and, consequently, also may be nominated. Furthermore, in the first place seriously requesting and ordering, in order to [ end ] the jealousy, if not bitterness, which is being [ felt ] by some of the burgomasters and schepenen against the [several lines lost] [ ] presumed some mistakes [ ] they legally may justify [ ] and be corrected, which the director general and councilors trust; in case of refusal the director general and councilors excuse themselves and their trustees from any illegal slander or reports that may be going on behind their backs. Done in Fort Amsterdam in N: Netherland, dated as above.

The lord assessor Pieter Tonneman and secretary van Ruijven are hereby authorized to hand over the above excerpt to the burgomasters and schepenen, to request their answer, and to bring proper report of their findings to the director and councilors. Done in Fort Amsterdam in N: Netherland the first of February 1658.

Rights: This translation is provided for education and research purposes, courtesy of the  New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections, Mutual Cultural Heritage Project. Rights may be reserved. Responsibility for securing permissions to distribute, publish, reproduce or other use rest with the user. For additional information see our Copyright and Use Statement Source: New York State Archives. New Netherland. Council. Dutch colonial council minutes, 1638-1665. Series A1809. Volume 8.