Whereas the E.E. Majors in the fatherland in their secret letter of 14th September of last year, written alone to Commander Wagenaer and received on 4th of this month by the ship Marsseveen, have kindly ordered the latter to detain the galley De Vliegh (which had sailed with the aforementioned ship in a day and appeared at the roadstead today) here at the Cape, and to send it in due course to another place to assist in the execution, such formidable E.E. Gentlemen have made known by the aforementioned letter, But since we understood today with amazement from the chiefs of the aforementioned Vliegh that sailors on the way with the same ship had often been in danger of all kinds of misfortunes with it, noticed that it only had a small gangway, which was far too narrow and tapered too sharply at the front of the bow, which had caused so much water to come crashing down so deeply in hard weather and heavy water that the sailors often had to stand in water up to their belts if they had had to loosen or fasten anything at all. Yes, it would have been a close call, or it would have been the day before yesterday here close to land of so many heavy deposits have remained under water and sunk, And since we find that the aforementioned ship has been unloaded with many provisions, some heavy ropes, etc. for India, It is now at this meeting, for the aforementioned important reasons, mainly in the service of the General Company. resolved and unanimously understand to make this change herein: namely that the said vessel will try as much as possible to remedy with the first, or to bring it back with a heavy weight, to make it a little lighter, then when it will sail further to Batavia shortly after departure from Maersseveen, in the hope that there in calmer waters it can be used more suitably; on the other hand, for the recommended and good work to be carried out, we will moor again and have the flute vessel 't Velthoen made sail, which on the 19th of last returned here from the fleet of the E. Commander Lairesse and is present at Robben Island with shells for this place to the more we find it not only more suitable for this purpose, but also considerably larger, stronger and equipped with two decks, we will subsequently have the said Velthoentje brought up from the aforementioned island tomorrow, in order to be able to have it equipped with the first from the ship Marsseveen with the necessary provisions and other necessary supplies. And since we have up to now remained unaware of what the aforementioned Lords and Masters might have intended, or still have, with all the meat and speck sent to us last year with the aforementioned Field Horse: It has likewise been concluded that '50 barrels of meat, for the first time of that (noting that it not only takes up a great deal of space for us, but also tends to age and spoil with prolonged storage), as now with Maersseveen, together with as many layers of collected fat as it can suitably load, are to be sent to Batavia. And if no further order is received by the next ships, then another 50 barrels, full of all such meat for that purpose may be set off when I still retain enough of my remaining troops to last until the next Bastard's appointment, which will also last for a considerable time.
Thus done and resolved in the Fort of Good Hope, on the date and year as above.
[Signed:] Z. WAGENAER.
[Signed:] ROELOFF DE MAN.
[Signed:] ABRAHAM GABBEMA. 1663.
[Signed:] H. LACUS, Secrets. 1663.