Cape Council of Policy
247
1660-05-24
Minute details
- Entry number
- 247
- Date
- 1660-05-24
- Year
- 1660
English translation
By the Commander, of the 149th Council, since the beaching of the French ship named La Mareschal, having been given consideration for the difficulties that one will have with it from Comps., to watch and be careful that no inconvenience befalls us from their people, as being 145 or 146 strong, and so much more to bear in mind or to fear, etc., which since their ship was already sunk and therefore cannot be recovered, their chiefs obeyed very little and consequently could well resolve to some desperation, mainly due to hunger, about which they complained very much, and some of their people to Comps. to offer service for the cost alone, So after consultation of the matters it was unanimously decided: in order to fear less power of people, and to have a good portion of them among us devotion and seen, not to be strange, and accordingly it has also been resolved to offer the chiefs to relieve them of all their people who they have too much to store their property, and in Comps. to accept service, which will then be given work in the country in place of the one that must now be held at the fort, without gunfire or side rifles, with digging and hewing the place where the living hedge or land defense is projected, to seed and plant bitter almond and other trees, until ships from the homeland arrive in order to send them first to Batavia, for which the E. Compe. no more people can come between us and the ground can be made clear to the said terrestrial defense, which otherwise would still be lagging behind this year due to a shortage of plough animals, and yet it is of the utmost necessity to grow so thick and densely that no animals can be chased through, but the most important thing is as said before: to bring among us as many people and all that one can modestly obtain with the will of the chiefs, and thus be subject to less inconvenience, which is all the more important to pay attention to, because it is known that another French ship, under guise of friendship, the West Indian Company. played such a treacherous part by raiding and plundering its fort and sending two loaded flutes to Cape Verde under Swedish commission, after the incident, having taunted the Dutch there, etc. In order to protect ourselves from such inconvenience here, we had to, at great cost, bring in many men from their work of threshing, etc., and also from the necessary guards outside on the Hottentoos to defend the Company's principal strength here, etc. to preserve, which having been taken into account, the Council has all the sooner resolved on the previous one, and also by this being established, this should be explained the sooner the better in the most decent way, as there is no doubt that it will be received no otherwise than well by Our Lords Masters in the Fatherland and Our High Authority of India, and that in this matter nothing but the service and security of the E. Compe. here has been acted upon, as well as that the chiefs (requesting passage on Compe. ships to Batavia) will also be allowed this, in addition to their goods to be salvaged, provided they pay for it, such and as much as they agree with their E. My Lords, the Governor General and the Councils of India, may agree if we know that we are incapable of doing so and are not qualified.
Thus done and resolved, in 't Fordt de Goede Hope date ut supr.
[Signed:] JAN VAN RIEBEECK. 1660.
[Signed:] ROELOFF DE MAN.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1660.
[Signed:] PITER EVRARD.
[Signed:] H. LACUS, Secrets.
Thus done and resolved, in 't Fordt de Goede Hope date ut supr.
[Signed:] JAN VAN RIEBEECK. 1660.
[Signed:] ROELOFF DE MAN.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1660.
[Signed:] PITER EVRARD.
[Signed:] H. LACUS, Secrets.
Original Dutch transcription
Door den Commandeur, den149 Raadt t’ zedert ‘t stranden des Frans schip genaempt La Mareschal in bedencken gegeven sijnde de moijelycheden die men van Comps. wegen met het selve sal hebben, soo in ‘t toesien ende oppassen dat ons van hun volck geen ongelegentheijt overcoome, als sijnde 145 a 146 persoonen sterck, ende wes meer dienaengaende te bedencken off te duchten &a. welcke vermits haar schip al geborsten ende daarom niet weder af te crijgen is, hunne opperhooffden gantsch weijnig obedieren ende ingevolge wel tot eenige desperatie mochten resolveren voornaementlijck door honger daer se seer over claegen ende sommige haere persoonen tot Comps. dienst al voor de cost alleen comen aenbieden, Soo is na overlegh van saacken eenparig g’oordeelt: om voor te minder macht van volck vreese, ende goedt deel van deselve onder ons devotie ende gesagh te hebben, niet vremt te sijn, ende volgens dien oock geresolveert de opperhooffden te presenteeren haer van alle hun volck die se om haer goet te bergen te veel hebben te ontlasten, ende in Comps. dienst aan te neemen, welcke dan in plaatse van die men harenthalven nu bij ‘t fort moet houden, in ‘t landt werck gegeven sullen worden, sonder schiet off sijdt geweer met omspitten ende houwen van de plaatse daer de levendige heg ofte landtweer geprojecteert is met bitter amandel ende andere boomen te besaijen ende planten, totter schepen uijt ‘t vaderlandt aancoomen om deselve daermede dan ten eersten nae Batavia te versenden, daer dog voor d’ E. Compe. geen volcke te veel can comen ende tusschen wijlen de grondt tot de gemelte landtweer vast claer sal cunnen gemaeckt worden, dat anders dit jaar door manquement van ploegbeesten noch soude achterblyven ende nochtans op ‘t hoogste noodtsaackelyck is om te eerder soo dick en dight te bewassen datter geen beesten cunnen deurgejaeght worden, doch ‘t principaalste daerop siende als voren geseght: om soo veel volck ende al die men bescheijdentlijck met wil van d’ opperhooffden can becoomen onder ons gesagh te crygen ende alsoo te min ongelegentheyt subject te syn, daer te meer op staadt te letten, omdat men weet een ander Frans schip onder schijn van vrundtschap de West Indische Compe. soo verradelijcken part hebben gespeelt met het overrumpelen ende plunderen van haar fordt ende 2 gelaaden fluijten aen Cabo Verde onder Sweedtsche commissie, na ‘t gedaane feijt, de Hollanders aldaer hebbende gethoont &a. Om voor hoedaenige ongelegentheijt ons alhier te bewaaren wij veel volck tot groodt versuijm uijt haer werck van ‘t dorssen &a. ende oock van de nodige wachten buijten op de Hottentoos hebben moeten binnen haelen om alhier Comps. principaalste sterckte &a. te bewaaren, welck een en ander ingenoomen sijnde, den Raadt te eerder tot het vorige heeft doen resolveren, ende oock bij desen vastgestelt sulcx hoe eer hoe liever op ‘t fatsoenlijckste t’ onderleggen, als niet twijffelende off sal by onse Heeren Meesters in ‘t vaderlandt ende onse Hoge Ovrigheyt van India niet anders als wel genoomen worden, ende dat in desen niet dan ten meesten dienste ende gerustheijt voor d’ E. Compe. alhier gehandelt is gelijck oock dat men d’ opperhooffden (passagie versoeckende met Comps. schepen na Batavia) sulcx mede sal toestaen, neffens hare te bergen goederen mits daarvoor betaalende, sulcx ende sooveele als sijl. met haar Ed. myn Heeren den Gouverneur Generael ende Raaden van India sullen cunnen accordeeren als ons tot dies onvermogen ende niet gequalificeert kennende.
Aldus gedaan ende geresolveert, in ‘t Fordt de Goede Hope datum ut supr.
[Signed:] JAN VAN RIEBEECK. 1660.
[Signed:] ROELOFF DE MAN.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1660.
[Signed:] PITER EVRARD.
[Signed:] H. LACUS, Secrets.
Aldus gedaan ende geresolveert, in ‘t Fordt de Goede Hope datum ut supr.
[Signed:] JAN VAN RIEBEECK. 1660.
[Signed:] ROELOFF DE MAN.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1660.
[Signed:] PITER EVRARD.
[Signed:] H. LACUS, Secrets.