Document: Pass to the ship Mercury to come to New Amsterdam for supplies and then proceed to Europe

Whereas we, the director general and councilors of New Netherland, have been informed both by a letter from our commander on the South River, and by a letter from the honorable Johan Papegaay, about the appearance and arrival of a certain Swedish ship called the Mercurius carrying some Swedish families, which for important reasons cannot be permitted to land until further orders from our lords superiors; and we are informed and advised from the aforesaid letter of the aforesaid Johan Papegaay that they were well disposed to depart with their ship to the fatherland, which neither can nor ought to be denied them. Nevertheless, whereas we understand from the letter that the aforesaid ship has been at sea for a long time with 130 souls, and thus would lack for food on the return voyage, if it is not supplied and provided from elsewhere; therefore, we, the director general and councilors of New Netherland have no other intention than to observe the old union and friendship of both nations. Leaving the dispute concerning claims to the aforesaid South River to the arbitration of the lords superiors, we grant hereby to the aforesaid ship Mercurius, the officers, sailors, and passengers belonging thereto, absolute permission, pass and safe conduct to come to this place at their pleasure before New Amsterdam, and to depart unmolested, as it may please them, and to provide themselves with such foodstuffs and stores as they require. Thus done and issued over our usual signatures and marginal notations, ady ut supra, at Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland. (Was signed:) P. Stuyvesant, Nicasius de Sille, La Montagne, Cornelis van Tienhoven.