The Directors of the Incorporated West India Company at the Amsterdam Chamber having received your High Mightinesses' letter of the SO"" October last with the copy of the petition presented on the same day to your High Mightinesses, by or on behalf of Jacob Tafyn, they state for information thereupon, that they have received advices by letter from Director Petrus Stuvesant, written in Fort Amsterdam in New Netherland, on the 5"" of August last, that a Spanish bark, burthen about 70 to 80 lasts, had been sent in there, laden with hides, and captured by the yacht the Cat conveying some horses from the Island of Cura9ao to the Caribbean Islands, a portion of which aforesaid hides the said Director had sold there, and would send the remainder, amounting to about 2000, to this country, as was subsequently done. And as the aforesaid prize, according to the law of Nations and the treaty of peace concluded between this State and the King of Spain, is without any gainsay, well and duly sent in without the Company being able, or bound, to know whose property any of the ;

freighted goods were which, however, by means of that prohibited ship also were rendered contraband. The above named Directors, pursuant to the Company's order, therefore considered themselves to be warranted to take the benefit of, and to sell the aforesaid goods sent over to this country. Then having remarked by the aforesaid letter that your High Mightinesses had provisionally staid the aforesaid sale, we have deemed it expedient, in addition to the present information and in consideration thereof, humbly to solicit your High Mightinesses, that we be at liberty to proceed, on the day appointed by the notices and of which the merchants are now advised, with the aforesaid sale, and to benefit the most advantageously by the goods; the rather, inasmuch as the said Tafyn or any one else who might pretend a claim thereupon, which however cannot be, can and shall retain as much right to the moneys proceeding from the aforesaid sale, as he hath had to the aforesaid property.