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Cape Council of Policy

762

1685-09-10

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Minute details

Entry number
762
Date
1685-09-10
Year
1685

English translation

The Council having been expressly summoned by the president of this meeting, and in the further members of that meeting a communication having been made, how it had been reported to him the morning before by the lieutenant of this garrison, that 9 stx., both the Company's slaves and Indians convicts from their respective modest posts, were missing, without it being known for certain whether they abandoned them on land in fugitives, or whether it is most suspected with suspicion that they must have transported them to the moored French ship, La Royale,90 the latter being attributed with all the more credence, since the captain and head of the militia of this garrison, E. Jeronimus Cruse, also informs the Council that he had been approached yesterday by a Compton slave to request a license to sail aboard the aforementioned French ship to practice the Roman Catholic faith with the clergy there, a matter which the aforementioned captain has refused to do. This gives the Council all the more reason to suspect that the aforementioned missing slaves may be aboard the aforementioned French ship; after careful deliberation, it has first been approved and understood that the designated director of Surat, Monsr. Pillavoine, in order to express his indisposition, granted permission to recite it here on land, as the highest authority on that soil, by three commissioned members from this meeting, together with the Secretary of this College, in polite but serious terms to the aforementioned Monsr. to request de Pillavoine to establish order within his shipboard, so that all the slaves of the Company, who may have transported her thither and kept her hidden there, might be delivered up to us again, just as was practiced with us to all foreign European nations in good alliance with our state, also to verify this by alleging the most recent example that occurred in the presence of the Extraordinary Ambassador of His Royal Majesty of France, the Count of Chamont91, to the King of Siam of … stx.92 of her sailors, who had put her on probation here, in order to recover whom and deliver them up to her, all questionable diligence had been exercised upon the departure of the aforementioned. French ships had first fallen into our hands, and, at the order of the High Honorable Sir Hendrik Adria[e]n van Reede, Lord of Mijdrecht & Co., representing the Dutch East India Company, with an express vessel, were already at sea outside the Bay, were sent for and delivered to them. We could not doubt that they would come and do the same in the regalia of our slaves. We ordered the appointed members of their committee and received a response, in writing, to submit a report to this meeting, in order to take further action on this matter, as they may deem appropriate after reviewing the matter.

Thus done and resolved in the Castle of Good Hope, date above.

[Signed:] ANDS. THE MAN.

[Signed:] J. CRUSE.

[Signed:] A. v. BREUGEL.

[Signed:] L. v. STEL.

[Signed:] CORNLS. LINNES.

[Signed:] J. H. BLUM.

Original Dutch transcription

Door den president deses vergaderingh den Raat expres zijnde geconvoceert, en daar in d’ verdere leden van dien sijnde communicatie gedaan, hoe dat sijn E. van de morgen door den luijtenant deses guarnisoens was aangedient, hoe dat 9 stx., soo ‘s Comps. slaven als Indiaansche gecondemneerdens van haare respective bescheijde posten wierden vermist, sonder dat men seecker weet of de selve haar te lande fugatieff hebben begeven, of wel dat met de meeste suspitie wert vermoet, dat sij haar sullen hebben getransporteert aan het ter rheede leggende Fransche schip, La Royale ,90 werdende aan dit laatste te meerder geloof gedefereert, dewijl den captn. en hooft van de militie deses guarnisoens, den E. Jeronimus Cruse, den Raad mede kennisse geeft dat hij op gisteren door een Comps. slaaf was aangesproocken om gelicentieert te mogen werden van aan boort van ‘t gemelte Fransche schip te mogen varen om bij de geestelijcke aldaar oeffeninge van de Roomsche Godsdienst te doen, ‘t welck bij den captn. voornt. gerefuseert is, ‘t welck den Raad dan te meerder reden geeft om te vermoeden dat de voorn. vermiste slaven aan boort van ‘t voorn. Fransche schip sullen wesen; waar over met aandaght gedelibereert zijnde, is voor eerst goetgevonden en verstaan den gedesigneerden directeur van Suratte , monsr. Pillavoine, om sijn indispositie gelicentieert hem alhier aan landt te mogen refrischeren, als ‘t hoogste gesagh op dien bodem voerende, door drij gecommitteerde leden uijt dese vergaderingh, nevens den Secretaris van dit Collegie in beleefde dogh ernstige termen aan de voorn. monsr. de Pillavoine te versoecken dat hij die ordre binnen sijn scheepsboort geliefde te stellen, dat ons alle de slaven van d’ Comp., die haar derwaarts moghten hebben getransporteert en haar aldaer verborgen hielden, weder moghten werden overgelevert, gelijck als bij ons aan alle vreemde Europiaansche natie met onsen staat in goede alliantie zijnde, wiert gepractiseert, mitsgaders tot verificatie van dien te allegeren ‘t nogh jongst voorgevallen exempel bij aanwesen van den Extraordinaris ambassadeur van sijn Conincklijcke Majesteijt van Vranckrijck den Grave van Chamont91 aan den Coninck van Siam van … stx.92 haarder matroosen, die haar alhier fugatief hadden gestelt, om de welcke weder in handen te krijgen en aan haar over te leveren alle bedenckelijcke diligentie waren aangewent, die op ‘t vertreck van de voorn. Fransche schepen eerst in onse handen waren vervallen en ter ordre van de Hoog Ede. Heer Hendk. Adria[e]n van Reede, Heere van Mijdreght &a., representerende d’ Nederlantsche g’octrojeerde Oost Indische Comp., met een expres vaartuijgh, wanneer reets buijten de Baaij en al in zee waren, sijn nagesonden en aan haar overgelevert, en dat wij niet en conden twijffelen of sij souden ‘t selve in het reguart van onse slaven mede comen te doen, met ordre aan de gecommitteerde leden van haar commissie en becomen antwoort, bij geschrifte, aan dese vergaderingh rapport te doen om daar omtrent verders in ‘t werck te stellen ‘t geen men na bevindingh van saken sal meenen te behooren.

Aldus gedaan en geresolveert in ‘t Casteel de Goede Hoop, datum ut supra.

[Signed:] ANDS. DE MAN.

[Signed:] J. CRUSE.

[Signed:] A. v. BREUGEL.

[Signed:] L. v. STEL.

[Signed:] CORNLS. LINNES.

[Signed:] J. H. BLUM.