Mightinesses' more important and weightier deliberations. We shall, therefore, conclude, and await your High Mightinesses' further order and wise counsel touching the one and the other. Meanwhile we commend your High Mightinesses to God's gracious protection, and remain Your High Mightinesses' Amsterdam, in N. Netherland, the 20th October, A° 1657. Beneath was: Obedient and faithful servants, P. STUYVESANT, By order of the Director-General and Council at New Netherland. (Signed), C. V. RUYVEN, Sec'. Appendix 1: Received 26th April, 1658. To the Honble Petrus Stuyvesant, Director-General and the Council of New Netherland. Petitioner shall re ceive a copy of the Respectfully showeth, Juan Gaillardo ferrara, a resident of the city of St. Lucar resolution adopted de Barrameda, at present in this city of Amsterdam, in New Netherland, that he, mentioned. the Petitioner, did deliver to your Honors, on the 6th instant, the despatch of in the case herein Dated, Amster dam, in New Noth their High Mightinesses, the Lords States-General, as well as of the Honble, the erland, the 6th September, 1656. Low of the Director-Gen New Netherland. er was: By order Burgomasters of the city of Amsterdam, to the end that you may be pleased eral and Council of to the Petitioner here to administer just, brief, prompt law and justice; Signed, CORNELIS whereunto the Petitioner hath placed in your Honors' hands some documents, among others a sworn declaration, by which it appears that one Geurt Tysen did, in the month of April, 1652, in the latitude of Cape Morante, unlawfully deprive him, the Petitioner, of forty-four negroes and negresses, and bring the same here. VAN RUYVEN, Secretary. And, whereas the Petitioner hath discovered here some of said negroes, whose names appear on the subjoined list, all of whom, male and female, still well recognize him, he therefore, respectfully prays your Honors to give orders that the negroes, whom he has already discovered, and may happen hereafter to find, shall be restored to him and placed in his hands. Further, as the Petitioner is at present a very poor man, he respectfully prays your Honors to be graciously pleased to provide him with lodgings and some board money, until a ship sail for Fatherland. Which doing, etc., Your Honors' servant. This day, the tenth April, sixteen hundred and fifty-six, before me, Joachim Thielmans, admitted by the Court of Holland a Public Notary, residing at Amsterdam, and the under named witnesses, appeared Joan Gallardo ferrara, an inhabitant of the city of St. Lucar de Barameda, actually within this city, who, by true christian words and on his conscience, in place and with offer of oath, hath, by the interpretation of Pr Pathuyzen, who speaks and understands the Dutch and Spanish languages, who, also, promises in manner as aforesaid, well and faithfully to perform his office of interpreter, solemnly affirmed and declared, as strict truth: That he, the affirmant, being, in the month of April, of the year 1652, on a voyage from Jamayca to St. Jago de Kuba, in the ship named St. Anthoni, whereof Silvester Peres was skipper, and being come to the latitude of Cape Morante, was met by a certain privateer ship whereof Martin Janss Raeff was Captain, which ship was navigated, in consequence of the Captain's absence, by his L'-General, Coert Tysen Campen, which privateer attacked, fought, boarded and conquered his, the affirmant's, ship and made a prize thereof, and proceeded to New Netherland, in the harbor called Manades, and whereas he, the deponent, had a deep interest in said ship carrying, among other merchandise, four-and-forty negroes and negresses, he, the affirmant, in further proof of his property therein, declares that said black men and omen are branded in manner as follows marked being the name of Anthonio de To wit: First. Thirty-two of them are Rivera, and three more are marked J., being the name of Jean Loper, which marks are branded on the left breast; and then nine more are marked A, being the name of Allonso, which marks are branded on the right breast. Thus done, in good faith, in Amsterdam, present, Henrick Vericselen, Dirck Tack, as witnesses hereunto invited. Beneath was: Quod attestor. (Signed), J. THIELMANS, Noty Pub. We, the Burgomasters and Regents of the city of Amsterdam, to each and every whom it may concern, do certify as true, that before us appeared Joan Gallardo ferrara, who, by solemn oath, with the interpretation of Pieter Pathuyzen, who speaks and understands the Dutch and Spanish languages, and he, also, appearing, affirms on oath, as aforesaid, to have well and truly performed his office of interpreter, declares and affirms the contents of the foregoing affirmation read to him by the subscribing Secretary, to be the truth, and thereby to persist: So truly may God Almighty help him, the affirmant and the interpreter aforesaid. In witness whereof the seal of this city is hereunder affixed, the 28th April, 1656. (Signed), N. NICOLAI. [L. S. ] Appendix 3: Received 26th April, 1658. Extract from the Register of the Resolutions of the Honble. Director-General and The despatches of the Noble, High and Mighty Lords, States-General, being delivered in at the meeting by Juan Gaillardo, an inhabitant of the city of St. Lucar de Barrameda, with a copy annexed thereunto of an extract from the Memorial of the Spanish Ambassador, respecting the case of the above named Juan Gaillardo, a Spanish pilot, with and against Captain Sebastiaen Raeff and his Lieutenant, Jan van Campen, who was charged with having seized the ship and some negroes belonging to the above named Gaillardo, and repaired to New Netherland, from which the aforesaid Raaff was discharged at Amsterdam, on his own security; also, an extract of their High Mightinesses' resolutions, dated 10th January, 1656, with order to the Director-General and Council here that, should they find the case, upon inquiry, to be as narrated in the Memorial aforesaid, they shall send Lieutenant Jan van Campen thither, pede ligato, and also to those interested in the matter of the slaves claimed, grant good, brief, prompt and full justice; likewise, having received the letters of the Honble Burgomasters of the city of Amsterdam, recommending the above named Gaillardo, in order that he may receive, in the matter aforesaid, good, speedy and prompt justice. After reading both the despatches and the Memorial of the Spanish Ambassador, it is found that the Memorial presented by the Spanish Ambassador to their High Mightinesses, is very erroneously drawn up and given in, inasmuch as neither the said Captain Raaff nor his Lieutenant, Jan van Campen, hath ever been in New Netherland, at least not in the time of the present Director-General and Council, but it is found that, in or about the last of July and beginning of August, in the year 1652, there arrived here at the North River, in New Netherland, one Captain Geurt Tysen and his Lieutenant, Pieter Jacobsen, with a commission in due form, from M. Poinci, French Governor of Christophers, beginning: Nous Poinci, Chevallier de Malte, Lieutenant-General du Roy de France des Illes Ameriques et Gouverneur Hereditaire de St. Christophere. Signed, LE CHEVALIER POINCI, and sealed on one side with his seal; which commission being exhibited to the Director-General and Council of New Netherland, and received as good, said Captain Geurt Tysen and his Lieutenant, Pr Jacobs,, in virtue of said commission as servants of the Crown of France, and agreeably thereunto as allies and good friends of their High Mightinesses, the Lords States-General of the United Netherlands, asked that they, with his ship, named the and accompanying prize, may, unmolested, come up before this city of Amsterdam, in order that they may repair, mend and re-victual their ship for their money and merchandise; who, exhibiting to him his commission as above mentioned, together with special recommendations to that effect from the above mentioned Chevalier du Poinci to the Director-General, he could not and dare not refuse such permission; which Capt" Geurt Tysen lay here for about the period of three months, and, meanwhile, having given, traded or sold some negroes to one or other of the inhabitants, subjects of this State, for wages, provisions and other effects, sailed again towards winter from this place, and has not been here since; some of these negroes are already dead; some have run away; some are still on hand here, with divers inhabitants, as bond slaves, purchased and paid for, but most of these have been two, three or more times re-sold, and have changed masters. In consideration whereof, the Director-General and Council cannot, at the request of the aforesaid Juan Gaillardo, deprive the owners of any negroes that have been bought, and bought over again and long since paid for, but it is resolved and concluded to inform the High and Mighty Lords, StatesGeneral and the Honble Directors of the Incorporated West India Company precisely of the circumstances of the case, and to await their High Mightinesses and Mess" the Directors' further advice on the subject; meanwhile, to allow said Gaillardo copy hereof. Done in Fort Amsterdam, in New Netherland. Ady as above. Was paraphed P. STUYVESANT. Beneath was: Agrees with the aforesaid resolution. (Signed), C. V. RUYVEN, Secret'. Appendix 4: Received 26th April, 1658. Before me, Cornelis van Ruyven, Secretary in the employ of the General Incorporated West India Company in New Netherland, appeared Adriaen Jans', of Saraaskercken, which is a village in Zealand, who, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses, at the request of Gallardo ferrara, a Spaniard, declares, attests and testifies that what follows is true and truthful: That in the year 1654, about the month of June, sailing in a Spanish advice boat bound from Carthagena to Campeachy, and from Campeachy on a full cruise in New Spain, the said boat was in the neighborhood of Cape St. Anthony, boarded and plundered by one Geurt Tysen, with his ship and crew; further, that the deponent, with the boat aforesaid, on board which Captain Geurt Tysen had placed his Lieutenant Peter as Captain, came here in New Netherland, before the city of New Amsterdam, in the year 1654, in or about October, loaded with mahogany, copper, and some canella; that on the voyage hither in said yacht, he heard from the sailors who were on board, that Captain Geurt Tyssen had taken a vessel with negroes on the coast of Jamaica, without knowing or hearing how many negroes or what other cargo the vessel had; declares he cannot furnish any more special information or description of the aforesaid vessel. All which aforesaid the deponent declares to be true and truthful, and is ready, when required, to confirm the same by oath. In witness whereof he hath signed this with Daniel Polyn and Cay Swart, hereunto invited as witnesses. New Amsterdam, in New Netherland, the 1" November, 1656. John Galliardo ferrara, burgher and inhabitant of the city of St. Lucar de Barrameda, gives and says, in answer, that the Governor did claim and require that I shall have three informations from Spain wherein are clearly mentioned the names of the privateers or pirates, whom the Governor named; and the reason that they are not distinctly specified and numbered in the Memoir is, that the principal privateers of the ship named the Raven are called Martinus Jans' de Rafe and his comrade, de Cortisen, who hath confessed and declared his name to be Jan van Campen, and is, in my information, Cortisen Campen, and the Lieutenant was named Peter Vereyde, corresponding in age, station and appearance; and it is true that privateers or pirates carry no fixed names nor certain flags; your Honors, therefore, ought not to inquire further, for the plundered negroes are found here, and further, in the declaration taken in Amsterdam, before the Burgomasters of that city, they were designated pirates; also, the marks of the negroes; and, in order to discover the truth, your Honors can learn the notoriety thereof both from burghers and inhabitants of this place, and by the declaration of said negroes, who, as soon as they heard of me, came immediately to inquire for me, and I recognized them as well as they me, and said negroes sought me from house to house until they found me, divers persons being present, among whom I found a sailor of said Cortison, who, without any solicitation on my part, made a declaration containing more than the whole contents of my informations, saying, therein, that they received five thousand pieces of eight, exclusive of the manufactured silver-ware, and two strings of large pearls, and that there were sixty negroes, 20 of whom were females and 40 males, and this is what the aforesaid sailor declared before the Commissary at this place; one Cooper, an inhabitant of this city and place, being also present; and here are two Dutchmen, to whom I am well known, for they were comrades of the others who also plundered me and helped to take me prisoner; so that I say, should your Honors please to take other informations, they can easily be had. I shall willingly name the sailor, if your Honors require it, whom you can interrogate under oath, touching the truth, referring myself, further, to my informations, which are just, real and true, and the aforesaid informations are directly presented and exhibited to your Honors that you may examine them and discover the truth from them; and as I have found another seaman, born at Flushing, who hath, these two years past, sailed with the Spaniards out of the Campeachy country, on the Indian coasts, whom said Cortisen took and brought into this port, loaded only with logwood, copperas and some parcels of cinnamon, and being, meanwhile, in the privateer, he hath, divers times, heard the crew talk of my imprisonment, all of whom were very much rejoiced and glad of it, and wished heartily that we had all been killed; on their side, only one man was missing, and eight of ours were killed, when the ship was captured. I request and pray your Honors to be pleased to attach and arrest said negroes, according to the Memoir and list thereof furnished your Honors, which contains the names of their present masters, until the Lords States-General shall have heard my suit, and shall have ordered and answered your Honors in the premises. When I delivered your Honors the letters and documents of the Lords States-General, you said and answered, that said negroes could not be delivered to me, but that you would attach and arrest those at their masters until further order; and whereas I request the same to be done with all the remaining still missing negroes, to the number of 60, which is the number that was in said prize, with three thousand minted pieces of eight, also a pack of rouwaan worth one thousand pieces of eight, together with one hundred and fifty ounces of wrought or manufactured silver-ware, such as dishes, &c., used at table, and in eating, which were delivered up to me by the prisoner when I imprisoned his Lieutenant at Amsterdam. I also request evidence of the truth from the negroes belonging to me and the pilot named Antonio de Riveras, and that the declaration may be made and the marks noted and taken down in my presence. I also request your Honors' answer to my notice, and this my Memorial, in order to deliver it to the States-General and to reply again, in proper time, to your Honors; and if your Honors demand a bark, as stated in your answer, and its master use the same diligence as I have done (wherein I have spent three years) to recover the pirate or his property, and, like me, do his best, they will, without doubt, have good justice and law administered to him in Spain, although it is quite notorious that the Spaniards do not like pirates nor live thereby, and if they happened to receive one, it may be because he ran into a harbor in India against his will, or that a pirate was driven there by contrary winds, otherwise the person receiving him must defend and vindicate his act, or must pay for him. Therefore you have no excuse for not restoring my property, which I see daily before my eyes, and I pray and beseech your Honors to be pleased to have pity and compassion on my poverty and that of my wife and children, who must be in want of my presence. 'Tis an act of mercy to grant me redress which I claim, and have signed this in the name of all the partners and of those interested in this restitution. |