Addressed to the Noble Gentlemen, the Commissioners, at the meeting of the Seventeenth in their letter dated 6 April of this year, concerning the employment of the yacht Westerwijck,97 after the goods, supplies and provisions for this commandment in the homeland would be unloaded there, have kindly written to us and instructed us to send the said ship from here to the island of Madagascar for the purchase of slaves, in order to transport them directly from there to the west coast of Sumatra, without their Ede. Hoogh Agtb. It seems to have been considered that the voyage from here to there should best be undertaken in the month of May or at the latest June, which usual time has now appeared for so long, and consequently the voyage in this present season should only be made from outside or west of the island of Madagascar, following the example of that of the yacht Elisabeth 98 in the year 1678 and with the fluytie Bharen practiced in the previous year,99 and after the experience we have of the first voyage, it was reasonably successful, although in the regularity of the trade considerably more time was required than usual, but nevertheless no difficulty as one has previously feared to be there to be submitted in this present season, however, considering that from the island of Mauritius in the period of ... 100 months have not been provisioned from here, and consequently on that island there will be a shortage of various necessary materials and provisions, and the flujtie Bhaaren the previous year delegated to the slave trade on behalf of this commandment, was actually projected to bring the annual need for that counter there, and in return from there the sawn ebony plates in stock have not yet appeared, and because of one or the other unforeseen obstacle even longer, and which we do not want to hope, could come to be delayed at all, as a result of which we, like no other vessel being here, nor at first expected to To send anything there could become hidden, and the aforementioned Westerwijck is proceeding without delay on his voyage to Madagascar in order to be able to make a more secure position at his found latitude and estimated length. Mauritius must be in sight. Therefore, it was deliberated whether it was appropriate to use the aforementioned reasons for the present occasion, as they were in accordance with the most important service of the General Company, in order to keep those of Mauritius out of embarrassment. Regarding this, the written advice of the designated skippers was accepted, whose reasons and motivations were submitted to the Council, reinforced with the advice of the Noble. Lord Council Extraordinary, Slicher, having considered and ventilated both pro and contra, mature deliberation is in the greatest interest of the E.Comp. decided to send the aforementioned yacht Westerwijck with the first to Madagascar, to cross there, having negotiated a good deal of slaves, directly to the west coast of Sumatra, the chiefs of which were to be given such Spanish reals as were sent here by the Lords Majores and allocated for that trade, and in addition to that to add such cargo of merchants as was most debitable there, and we are able to disembark, being further arrested to have the aforementioned merchant ship arrive at the island of Mauritius in passing, and having disbarked the goods and merchants for that island as quickly as possible, their further journey being to To prosecute Madagascar, as the Chief and the Council there would be instructed to do; whereas, on this occasion, the former Lieutenant Jan Batist, banished to Mauritius for 25 years by the Reverend Advocaat Council of Justice,101 was also sent there.102
Thus arrested at the Castle of Good Hope, date above.
[Signed:] THO. SLICHER.
103
[Signed:] ANDS. DE MAN.
[Signed:] J. CRUSE.
[Signed:] OELOFF BERGEL.
[Signed:] A. V. BREUGEL.
[Signed:] L. v. STEL.
[Signed:] CORNLS. LINNES.