In the year after the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, one thousand six hundred and forty-eight, on the 21st of December, appeared before me, Cornelis van Tienhoven, secretary of New Netherland, the worthy Mr. Tielman Wilckens, merchant of the ship De Jonge Prins van Deenmarcken, of the first part, and Piter Cornelisz from Cadoele,[1] gunner on the said ship, of the second part, who voluntarily and deliberately declared that through the intervention of the valiant Captain Nuton, Mr. Augustyn Heerman, Gorge Baxter, and Daniel Litscho, as arbitrators, they have agreed and voluntarily submitted to the hereinafter written award of the aforesaid arbitrators, as we do by these our subjoined signatures, to wit:
That all questions, differences or misunderstandings which heretofore have arisen between the parties are hereby adjusted and settled as if they never before had existed and they mutually promise, as honorable men, not only not to wish to remember any more past differences, but also never more to bring up the subject or to speak thereof to anyone in the world, either in Europe or elsewhere, on pain of whoever shall do so being regarded as a dishonorable person.
It is also stipulated, and the aforesaid Piter Cornelisz binds himself, that he shall pay all costs and charges, including jailer's fees, board, satisfaction to the court and the fiscal, counsel fees and all similar expenses, by whatever name they may go or be called.
Mr. Tielmans shall of his own free will make a present to the aforesaid Piter Cornelisz of the sum of sixty guilders, beaver value, provided he pay the costs incurred In this arbitration, and Mr. Willekens shall have to bear his own expenses incurred in the suit. This being done on both sides, the suit shall hereby be ended and discontinued, without any further trouble or malice, but all in good faith, and the aforesaid parties therefore declare that to the present day they have nothing to say of each other but what is good.
The said Piter Cornelisz binds and obligates himself to proceed on the voyage with the ship De Jonge Prins van Deenmarcken and to help bring her, God willing, to Geluckstadt,[2] where her regular place of unloading shall be, promising to perform his duty uprightly and in good faith as he ought, on condition that Mr. Tielman Willekens pay the said gunner here six months' wages on account, which at the request of Pieter Cornelisz is agreed to by the arbitrators above mentioned and is accepted by Mr. Tielman through the interventions of referees.
Parties promise as honorable men at all times to perform and observe what is hereinbefore written, in all its parts, honestly and without exception. In token of the truth we have caused this to be written and have ratified it with our usual signatures in the presence and before the said arbitrators, who with us have signed the record hereof Done the 22d of December A°. 1648, in New Amsterdam in New Netherland.
