[ Whereas the frauds committed in the sale and exportation of poor, bad, rotten or withered tobacco have, for a long time past, been publicly known, not only in this country, but ] diverse complaints have also been presented and made from the fatherland, namely, that now and again many of such poor, bad, rotten or dried out tobacco is being sent over by diverse traders, factors and agents of good, respectable merchants, and for which the masters are charged 6 to 7 stivers, when it apparently cost here scarcely two to three stivers, and on arriving cannot realize the ship’s freight; to prevent this, then, as much as possible, the director general, the councilors, and their assistants, have, on the advice and instructions of the honorable directors, considered it right and necessary to subject the Virginia tobacco to inspection as well as that of New Netherland.[i] But as experience has manifested and proved that inspected good tobacco—the hogsheads of which were, according to order, on the purchase and receipt marked with the customary branding iron—has been subsequently, fraudulently, either changed or mixed with inferior tobacco, and this could again be done hereafter, and the absent merchant be, notwithstanding, defrauded and the inspection and inspector be suspected, the director general, councilors, and their assistants have for better information and security of the absent merchant, as well as for less blame [ and to save from censure the inspection and inspector, deemed it best to leave the purchase and receipt of the Virginia tobacco free and unrestrained, according to the custom of our fatherland, to the buyer and seller, as they shall agree together in regard to the quality of the tobacco and the value of the wares to be exchanged for it, the same rule to apply ] to the New Netherland tobacco, [ in case ] parties [ can agree together ] of the delivery thereof. But if they wish to export it to Holland, then the one as well the other will have to be examined and inspected by a capable, trustworthy and sworn person, in or in front of the Company’s store, before it is embarked or shipped. And although the inspector cannot judge, much less know at what price the tobacco is bought or received, or at what price it is brought into account with the principals, yet he can judge of the comparative quality and grades of goodness. It is, therefore, as already stated, thought best and most proper, provisionally, until further advice and information by the honorable directors, for the better information and security of the absent merchant that three sorts or distinctions of tobacco be made by the inspector and inspected and marked in this manner, namely:
The best sorts or hogsheads:
V. G. which shall signify Virginia Good; or N. G. New Netherland Good.
[The next sorts:
V. M. or N. M. and shall signify Virginia or New Netherland Merchantable tobacco.
The third sort:
V. S. or N. S. and shall signify] Virginia or New Netherland Poor tobacco.
The last sort, which may not reach poor, shall be marked with a zero or 0, and shall not be allowed to be embarked or exported except on the shipper’s own account, on condition that, before shipping here, he give sufficient security for the ship’s freight and other charges, if it should happen, as is reported, that such condemned tobacco might not realize the freight and other charges in the fatherland.
In order to prevent further loss to the skippers or merchants and to relieve the honorable Company’s warehouse, also to give still more light both to the lords directors and the merchant, it is further considered advisable and ordained that, as the shipped tobacco is inspected and marked according to the finding of the inspector, it shall also be specified and signed on the manifest and bill of lading with the inspector’s brand marks in addition to the merchant’s marks; and all this until further and better regulation, as circumstances [and experience shall require.
Meanwhile, are all persons forewarned and cautioned not to ship any Virginia or New Netherland tobacco before and until the same be examined, inspected, and marked or branded, in accordance with the tenor hereof, by the inspector] to be appointed [ and sworn ] for that purpose, on pain of forfeiting one pound [ Flemish ] for every hogshead, to be paid as well by the merchant who ships it as by the skipper who takes it over.
Thus done, in the session of the honorable director general and councilors held in Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland, the 30th of March 1657.[ii]
