Matthias Beck, in the service of their High Mightinesses the Lords States- General of the free United Netherlands and the honorable General Chartered West India Company, Governor over the Curacao islands. Greetings. Let it be known how a certain Jan Pietersen from Coldingen in Denmark, styling himself the commander of a ship called t Castel Ferget, having with him some English, French and Germans who were cruising this coast with him on the aforesaid ship, has dared to attack the Companys vessels near Bonairo and Rocus[1] and to take them by force, and with the same and the Companys crew to force, among others, eighty-four healthy Negroes out of the Companys ship St. Jan, which was coming from the coast of Guinea and ran aground on a reef at Rocus, where one of the aforesaid Companys vessels was already engaged in rescuing the same Negroes for the Company, whose property they were, together with everything else in the ship, in order to bring the same here to Curacao, for which reason it was expressly dispatched from here. In addition to this, the aforesaid Jan Pietersen not ony detained the Companys vessels so that they were unable to carry out their orders, but also made himself master of the aforesaid vessels, and with them and some boats robbed everything they could, including the aforesaid Negroes, and made off with one of the Companys best vessels, named Den Jongen Vogelstruys, to the great detriment of the honorable Company, and arrogated it all to himself as a good booty for them. All of this can be seen in more detail from the testimony, relations, reports and depositions of the skipper and crew of the aforesaid vessels.[2] And whereas the aforesaid Jan Pietersen and his men have committed similar acts before this under improper commission and persists therein now as a public pirate with the taking of the Companys vessels and Negroes, which he threatens to continue to do. And among others a Company sailor named Jacob Pietersen van Belcom, a Frisian, being on active service, having shipped as seaman aboard the Companys freight boat Den Jongen Bontekoe, voluntarily deserted to this pirate, in spite of the obedience, loyalty, honor and oath which he owes the Company; but on the contrary, as appears in the testimony, he has served these pirates as a spy which he still tries to do. All of which precedes is a matter of extremely grave circumstance, and a great detriment and loss to the honorable General Chartered West India Company, who will not fail to express its indignation about this and attempt by all possible means, not only to receive compensation for the deprivation and damage already suffered by the loss of their vessel and Negroes which were so unlawfully taken from them, but most of all to see to it that such pirates be appropriately punished as pirates and privateers as an example to others. Therefore, with the advice of our council, upon the certain proofs and reports submitted to us, and not wanting to lose any time in overtaking these pirates, we have resolved and decided, in the name and on behalf of the lords superiors, their High Mightinesses, the lords States-General and the honorable General Chartered West India Company, for the preservation of the same and the common good, not only hereby to warn all the Companys captains and ships as well as private skippers, ships and vessels presently lying in our harbors or still to come in, who owe allegiance to their High Mightinesses, the lords States-General and are in the service of the honorable General Chartered West India Company, to be on guard against the aforesaid pirates and privateers, but also, should they encounter them at sea, to seize them without compunction and bring them here to Curacao, or if they are encountered at any of the Leeward islands, to bring complaints against them to the governors and administrations of such places where they happen to find them, according to the proofs of the matter, and to see to it that such justice may be carried out on them as the evidence shall warrant. Therefore, we request that all generals, governors and commanders, both on sea and land, to whom these our letters for the execution of the preceding shall be shown, administer good law and justice, for which we shall reciprocate under similar circumstances.
Thus done and confirmed on the island of Curacao in Fort Amsterdam, the 5th of December 1659.
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