10 March
Renewal of the orders and regulations concerning inspection of New Netherland tobacco, devised and enacted in the presence of the burgomasters of this city of New Amsterdam in the year 1653, the 18th of February.[1]
First. Whereas the inspectors cannot approve the tobacco in the winter months, because it has not for the most part been thoroughly sweated, and cannot be easily handled, the inspectors are ordered not to inspect any New Netherland tobacco in the winter months of December, January and February, unless for urgent reasons with the previous knowledge of the director general and council.
2. Inspectors ordinarily shall not be obliged to inspect any tobacco except on Friday and Saturday, which days the director and council have set aside for that purpose, or in case of the departure of ships for Holland, when inspectors will be obliged to accommodate the buyer and seller daily without delay.
3. The director general and council order for urgent reasons that those who have tobacco to inspect shall see to it that it is brought before the inspectors in barrels or casks, which tobacco after the inspection shall remain in the barrels or casks at a designated place until the same shall be shipped from here.
[ All the tobacco which is offered to the inspectors for inspection and judged by them under oath to be ] unmerchantable tobacco, [ the inspectors, ] in order to prevent fraud, shall without connivance or regard to person, immediately [ bum the same, ] which they are expressly ordered and commanded to do.
The inspectors shall collect their fixed fees immediately after inspection, and in case any person refuse to pay or pretend to have no money with him, the inspectors may take their fee from the tobacco at the price at which it is sold.
All the barrels or hogsheads coming here with tobacco from Virginia and offered for inspection, the inspectors shall be allowed to unhoop at their discretion so that they may see into the middle of the tobacco (where commonly deception is concealed), which they are expressly ordered to obey so that the buyer is not deceived and unwittingly send on to his principal a bad return under guise of a good one.
Which order and regulation the director general and council of New Netherland order and command the aforesaid inspectors, namely Issacq de Fooreest and Gorge Homs, strictly to observe, and furthermore, to charge all inhabitants who have their residence within this jurisdiction to offer the aforesaid inspectors no manner of obstruction or molestation in the discharge of their office, but, if need be, to lend them every reasonable assistance.
Thus done the 18th of February 1653, New Amsterdam in New Netherland; present: the honorable director general, La Montange, Brian Neu- ton, Cornelis van Tienhoven, Arent van Hattem and Marten Crigier, burgomasters.
