regiments of horse, entered the city on the day before yesterday, who are to serve under a cornet, as a mounted guard to the Lord Protector; they are all disciplined men, who have served at least seven years, and each of them, as I'm informed, is allowed a servant and four The Lieutenant of the former body guard, consisting of forty persons, shillings sterling a day. mostly gentlemen, is appointed Captain of the corps. The Majors General in the respective Provinces, continue according to their instructions, to provide against new disturbances, whereby many have been brought into great difficulties. Nothing further has been done respecting the proposals of the Jews. Wherewith ending, I wish your High Mightinesses all happiness and prosperity, and shall always be and remain, High and Mighty Lords, Your High Mightinesses' Most humble servant, Westminster,?) ^ . 1 .<, >• January, 1656. •' (bigned) d / Wil"" Nieupoort. Received 13 I \

Chamber at Amsterdam to the States General. [ From th9 Original in the Koyal Archives at the Hague ; File, West Indie. ]

High and Mighty Lords. We yesterday received your High Mightinesses' letter of e"" instant with the accompanying extract of Ambassador Nieupoort's despatch dated the 31 December last. In answer thereunto we state, that in the month John Ryssen who represented himself of May, 1654, one as being commissioned by the Crown of Sweden, arrived, with a certain ship and some people, in the New Netherland province of the Incorporated West India Company of this country and there, contrary to the law of nations, made himself master of the aforesaid Company's fortress named Casimier,^ situate on the South River, and thus dispossessed us of a place which we had occupied for many years in peace and quietness. Being advised thereof by the Director-General, we chartered the ship the Waeg last year from the Worshipful Burgomasters of this city, and sent off some soldiers in her to recover the aforesaid fort from the said Jan Rysen, and to bring it under the Company's obedience.