The E. Hr. Governor and Councillor Extraordinary Isbrand Goske in Rade, (reinforced by the E. Luder Brummer, Commander of the returning ships present, and the junior merchant Mattheus Sonnemans) among other things demonstrating how his E. from the very beginning of his arrival in this place found the Company’s affairs to have fallen into such disrepair through the bad commissions and management of these and no guards, not only the aforementioned malicious servants detained and redressed to their duty, not only the merchant Albert van Breugel, second in command and administrator here, had from time to time accepted both with sincere and amicable admonition and serious threats of detention, to duly observe his service, but also not to leave everything to the lesser guards so calmly and carelessly as before, but to let his own eyes wander over it, as it principally concerns his administration and responsibility, as well as to ensure that the accepted trading books are so noticeably behind on the arrival of his E., and not without the greatest haste are settled and reformed by his E., according to the indicated method in debt forma were continued and kept smooth, but that the aforementioned E. had been pacified and kept going for quite some time with promises without effect, noticing how the said Breugel indeed not less took such to heart nor attempted it afterwards, all his iterative warnings and admonitions returning to him without operation in vain, it was to be feared that 's Comps. sorting matters under his direction would again fall into the previous confusion and decay, and that for that reason his E. had then been compelled to take under himself the trade books of the year 73 not even having been drawn up on the end of October, but rather a vitiated draft in the form of a Journal without a calculation of the sum, completely confusingly brought to light, and regardless of his own difficult operation, to work by night and at odd hours to rectify them into proper form, as well as his E. not only the said books of the aforementioned years but from the following to the present has had to keep in hand, without Breugel having since done any rehearsal there or at least afterwards hesitated to take up the same as his position entailed, nevertheless Breugel, remarkably relieved of those occupations, has gained ample time and opportunity, as a result of almost countless applications and threats, both private and public and made in Council, to more fully observe his duty in the defense of the administration, with numerous notorious demonstrations that things were not going well with his former butler (who had the living warehouse under his control for a long time), but had to come from elsewhere than from his simple salary, since one was so magnificent of conde living and feuding as sometimes happens, and such having not helped, but from which finally arose the damaging interest that the E. Compe. through the said bottler about the shortcoming of various provisions &a. that he had not been fraudulently brought to the souk, nor had he recently been punished, and that, moreover, Breugel had often been taken to court beforehand to be accountable for everything, without, however, using all practical means, being able to ascertain so much about the person of the aforementioned Breugel that he might allow him to serve as a warning and, having better access to his entrusted warehouses and their attendants, take better care of them than before, but that in all this much of his labor was in vain,27 not only continued, both before and after, in his old habit of carelessness and lassitude, but instead of inspecting the warehouses and putting them in the necessary order, preferred all kinds of wrong recreations and useless time-savings, indeed, even disregarding the good orders of his E. for nothing other than to guarantee the E. Compe. and the aforementioned Breugel's own interest was directed, deliberately contradicting it, among other things in such a way that when, a short time after the close of last year's trading books, an almost unbelievable quantity of rice was discovered to be deficient, and such provision was made that when the Delfshaven flute was unloaded, the consignment was brought with it to a warehouse of the remaining old rice, specially separated out, in order to be able to find out exactly what the situation was in this regard, he immediately ordered the payment of that journey per said amount. Delfshaven, to be poured under the old one, whereby the wooden partition placed between both, being broken, these said grains will be completely mixed and it will not be possible to find out without measuring how much will be broken there, besides a lot of eand various other such irregularities and disorders, not without reservation by the same, more committed and all too prolic in this matter, to be recounted piece by piece; from all which, besides his misbehavior, carelessness, and indolence, the true service of the E. Compe. and the maintenance of such an estimable government and quality for so long, has so much more become apparent, without any apparent reason that better fruits could ever be expected from him, as well as at the meeting in the presence of many Sr. Breugel had told the above-mentioned story and his E. had openly questioned him as to whether all of it was not the sincere truth and whether he could find anything to excuse it, or whether he could point out any impediment or other extraordinary occupations, whereby during his presence he might have diverted some portion of his duties as required, but not the least of which was brought up with him, but to the contrary all points of accusation presented to him in general terms as being peculiar to his E. had preserved and confirmed the two ordinary members as what had passed between Mr. Governor and much-recited Breugel on this subject, having repeatedly attended meetings as well as privately, also ordered her to make an honest statement on the matter, which having then been unanimously confirmed, the Governor further requested the assumed members of the Council to submit both the aforementioned Breugel's own confession and the testimony of the other Council members to her memorandum, as well as Breugel's thoughts to leave the Council alone, apart from himself, when this matter had been carefully considered and considered by the Council, in no way for the benefit of the E. Compa. It would be much less responsible and more encouraging to allow Breugel to continue on his usual footing, to the apparent detriment of our Lords and Principals, indeed to the ruin of his own person and family, to continue in this way, but seeing that there were no suitable means present here to absolutely devolve this government, and that the few ministers present had, each in his vocation, the freedom to do as much as he could carry out, Then it is ultimately mostly in the service of the E. Compa. It has been approved and understood that the warehouses, which are likely to be the most problematic, should first be thoroughly recorded by the commissioners, and that he should be informed that he will henceforth have to refrain from entering the warehouses without a deputy, but if he has anything to do there or to provide information from there, he will have to conduct his business in the presence of the deputy,28 while the opportunity allows, which will relieve him of all administrative burdens. Furthermore, in a special warehouse appropriate for this purpose, a consignment of all kinds of provisions for transshipment, calculated to be sufficient for a certain period, will be collected, and from this, what is necessary will be distributed. The keys of all the warehouses, according to the work done, will be left in the custody of the Governor. and to avoid wasting the said Breugel's time on these and no diversions, but instead to review the books and records of his former butler, etc., he will be advised to remain within his residence, without going out to the warehouses, until such time as an opportunity arises to reach a further and final resolution on this matter.
Thus resolved in the Fort of Good Hope on the day and year aforesaid.
[Signed:] ISBRAND GOSKE.
[Signed:] LUDER BRUMMER.
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[Signed:] DIRCQ JANSZ. SMIENDT.
[Signed:] MATTHEUS SONMANS.
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[Signed:] H.CRUDOP. In R. and Scrts.