Document: Release of the French ship Sparrowhawk from seizure

At the session appeared Francois Lepine, Francois Batram, Piere La Cocq, Jacques Martin, and Charles Bonyn, who, upon their manly truth, at the request of Captain Jan Flaman, attest and declare that the aforesaid Flaman bought the galiot, which is now riding at anchor here before this city of Amsterdam in New Netherland and with which Flaman came here, from the governor of Martinico, Conte of Granade; the aforesaid Flaman also declares under oath that the exhibited receipt for the payment of the aforesaid galiot was signed by the aforesaid governor’s brother as his power of attorney. The honorable director general and councilors having considered the witnesses produced by Jan Flaman and his own declaration made at the session, in addition to the exhibited contract of the purchase and [ ] [ ] would be [ ] Sparwer [ ] and has been alienated in various lands; therefore, the director general and councilors of New Netherland hereby remove the attachment made on the same by the fiscal, ex officio, (as a result of some evidence and testimony that this galiot was the galiot de Sparwer that had been overpowered in Brazil), and the fiscal is hereby ordered to return the galiot to the hands of the aforesaid Jan Flaman in order to continue his voyage to the West Indies. Done at the session, ady ut supra. (Was signed:) P. Stuyvesant.