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Cape Council of Policy

661

1680-10-31

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Minute details

Entry number
661
Date
1680-10-31
Year
1680

English translation

Having verbally demonstrated at the meeting by the Honourable Commander how it had come to his attention that the dispenser, Lodewijck Francois Bureau,272, on his private authority last Friday afternoon, at 5:30 a.m., had consumed brandy from the Comps. wine warehouse had been transported to the rice warehouse here within the castle, for which some Hottentots had been employed, and that in a very concealed and sneaky manner, wherefore His E., not without great reason, receiving bad suspicion that some deceit or misconduct lurked therein, ordered the lieutenant of this garrison to secretly order the sargeants or officers in the gate to keep a watchful eye on the said dispenser's behaviour in the warehouses and whatever might be brought out there, and to report it. So His E. was informed today that the said dispenser not only today the said half-famed brandy, after having made such known to the Commander in the morning under a frivolous pretence, had it transported from there again to his previous place (where they had come from), but also that evening by his slave and Hottentots three more sacks of rice from the Comps. warehouse to his residence, summoning the officer of the guard present to take note of it and also report it, from which it is sufficiently concluded that the said Bureau was fully informed of the previous secret order, which was given to none other than the three sargeants of this castle, and yet he did not hesitate to violate the said order and to ridicule it to the detriment of his superiors and with great audacity to directly oppose it, which nevertheless cannot or should not be tolerated in regulated political government, except that the said Bureau has for some time been suspicious regarding the administration of the Comps. goods are not being dealt with in good faith, as can be sufficiently measured in the above; which having been carefully considered in Council, it has been approved and understood that the said Bureau will be informed this evening by two members of this Council that he will furthermore have to join the said commissioners in the castle and remain detained there, furthermore that the said commissioners will have their duty to secure all his papers, and to agree to reconcile them with the Comps.'s office, to be consulted with the first to know the condition of the same with the Comps. goods, the warehouses under his control were inspected by the commissioners, and he was unable, in the meantime, to retrieve the keys to the warehouses from the house of the Lord Commander, in the presence of the commissioners, to make the delivery in their presence, and after completing this, to return the keys to the house of the Lord Commander, where they will remain at night, as usual.273

Thus resolved in the Castle of Good Hope, date 18.

[Signed:] S. VAN DER STEL.

[Signed:] TOBIAS VLASVAT.

[Signed:] J. CRUSE.

[Signed:] J. WITTEBOSL.

[Signed:] A. DE MAN, Rt. and Srs.

[Signed:] Ms. VAN BANCHEM.

[Signed:] PHILIP THEODOOR WELCKER.

Original Dutch transcription

Door den E.Hr. Commandeur ter vergaderingh mondelingh gedemonstreert sijnde hoe dat sijn E. was ter kennisse gecomen dat den dispencier, Lodewijck Francois Bureau,272 op sijn prive aucthoriteijt voorleden Vrijdach ‘s middags, 5 halff aamen brandewijn uijt ‘s Comps. wijn magasijn heeft laaten transporteren in ‘t rijst magasijn alhier binnen ‘t casteell, waar toe hadde gebruijkt eenige Hottentots en dat op een seer bedeckte en sluijcxwijse manier, waerom sijn E. niet sonder groote redenen quade suspitie crijgende van dat daer ontrent eenigh bedrogh off quade handelingh schuijlde, den luijtenandt deses guarnisoens heeft gelast aan de sargeants off de officiers in de poort secreetelijck te gelasten op den gemelten dispencier sijn gedoente in de magasijnen en wat daer moght komen uijtgedragen te werden, een waeckent oogh te houden en daer van kennis en rapport te doen, Soo is sijn E. opgemelt heden berichtingh gedaen dat den gemelten dispencier niet alleen van daagh d’ bewuste halffaamen brandewijn, na dat aan de Hr. Commandeur van de morgen onder een frivooll voorgeven sulckx hadde kenbaer gemaackt, weder van daer en op sijn voorige plaats (waar van daan gecomen waeren) heeft laaten transporteren, maer oock selffs van den avondt door sijn slaeff en Hottentots noch drie sacken met rijst uijt ‘s Comps. magasijn na sijn wooningh heeft laaten brengen, roepende den officier van de wacht daar bij present dat daer van soude kennis dragen en oock rapport doen, sulckx daer uijt genoeghsaem consteert dat de gemelte Bureau van de voorgaande secreeten last, die aan niemandt anders als aen drie sargeanten deses casteels is gegeven, ten vollen is g’informeert en echter des niet jegenstaande sigh noch heeft derven onderwinden de gemelte ordre te overtreden en tot cleenachtingh van sijn overheijt bespottelijck te maecken en sigh uijt een groote vermetelheijt daer tegens directelijck aan te kanten, dat nochtans in gereguleerde poletijcque regeringh geensints magh off kan gedooght werden, behalven dat den gemelte Bureau all eenigen tijt herwaerts suspect is geweest dat ontrent d’ administratie van ‘s Comps. goederen niet ter goeder trouwe komt te handelen, gelijck in ‘t boven verhaalde genoeghsaem is aff te meeten; ‘t welcke in Rade exactelijck geconsidereert sijnde, soo is goetgevonden en verstaen dat den gemelte Bureau noch desen avondt door twee leden deses Raadts sall werden aangeseght dat hem voorts nevens de gemelte gecommitteerdens binnen ‘t casteell sall hebben te vervoegen en aldaer gedetineert blijven voorts dat de gemelte gecommitteerdens haer sullen hebben ter verseeckeren van alle sijne papieren, en die met ‘s Comps. sighnet versegelen, sullende met den eersten om te weten hoedanigh denselven met ‘s Comps. goederen heeft gehandelt de vivres magasijnen, onder sijn E. bewint staende, door gecommitteerdens werden opgenomen, en hij ondertusschen niet vermogens wesen als ten overstaen van de gecommitteerdens de sleutels van de magasijnen ten huijse van de Hr. Commandeur te haalen, de verstreckingh in haer presentie te doen, en na verrichtingh van dien, de sleutels weder ten huijse van de Hr.Commandeur te brengen, alwaer sij als vooren gebruijckelijck ‘s naghts sullen blijven berusten.273

Aldus geresolveert in ‘t casteel de Goede Hoop, datum ut antea.

[Signed:] S. VAN DER STEL.

[Signed:] TOBIAS VLASVAT.

[Signed:] J. CRUSE.

[Signed:] J. WITTEBOSL.

[Signed:] A. DE MAN, Rt. en Srs.

[Signed:] Ms. VAN BANCHEM.

[Signed:] PHILIP THEODOOR WELCKER.