No. 1. granted freedom of convoy. Those of Gouda submit that the money should be raised by issuing bonds. Those of Rotterdam also grant the ships on the same condition, only that the adventurers raise the money and pledge for it the proceeds of the prizes, one-third part of the profits to remain as the share of the State. Those of Schiedam, Brielle, Alkmaar, and Enkhuizen, do not find it advisable and refuse it altogether, since they do not care to trust their ships to a foreigner. Those of Schoonhoven agree with the majority of votes; those of Heusden with the six great cities. The Englishman has desired to provide himself with a passport from His Excellency, in order, with the aid of certain private individuals, to fit out the aforesaid ships and to further his aforesaid voyage, it being understood that these ships upon their return shall land here in Holland and nowhere else, and also that some experienced persons shall make the aforesaid voyage with him from Holland, in order to obtain knowledge of the aforesaid islands and make it public. As regards the proposed voyage of Captain Batz to the lands of Peru and the islands lying thereabout, the Estates of Holland, after the representatives of each city had reported upon the matter in their meetings, have resolved and make known that, in view of the great burdens of the land for the carrying on of the war, they find it impossible to make this state bear the expenses required for fitting out the ships which are needed for this purpose. However, inasmuch as they would be glad to see the aforesaid voyage promoted, the Estates, particularly in consideration of the commission and appointment granted him to this end by his Highness the Prince, will look on with approval if any private individuals in the cities of Holland unite themselves in aid of the project, and the aforesaid Estates will lend their countenance thereto.1 1 Note by Prof. Burr.-Of this project nothing more is heard in Dutch records; and it is the concurrent opinion of the Dutch scholars who in modern times have made careful research in this field (Berg van Dussen Muilkerk, De Jonge, Netscher) that it was probably never carried out. These passages have been here printed and at full length, not because they have really a bearing on the present controversy, but because they are the sole documentary basis of the statements so widely afloat as to relations of the Dutch with Guiana at this period. On these, and on these alone, rest ultimately Mr. Schomburgk's assertions that "so early as 1580 the Dutch attempted to form small settlements on the banks of the Orinoco and Pomeroon," and that "the States-General privileged in 1581 certain individuals to trade to their settlements." (Blue Book "Venezuela, No. 5,” pp. 22, 25.) From these, and from these only, have grown the legend of a Zeeland expedition of 1580 (Schomburgk, Description of British Guiana, p. 81) and that of the Dutch stations of that date on the Pomeroon and the Abary which are so circumstantially described by Mr. Rodway (History of British Guiana, i, p. 3). It is true that these are probably only misunder standings of a confused passage of Hartsinck, the Dutch historian of Guiana (Beschrijving van Guiana, i, p. 206), and that Hartsinck himself has here jumbled oddly other authorities and later events; but the only documents which by him or by any other have been adduced in proof of Dutch settlement or trade in Guiana prior to 1597 (sa ve trade with the Spaniards on the Orinoco) are those printed in full above. No. 2. Extracts from the proceedings of the States General, 1597. At the request of Hans van de Veken, merchant at Rotterdam, there was granted to the ship's captain Jacob Henrisz., of Amsterdam, a commission, to go with his ship named den Rooden Leeuw, of about eighty double-tons, and a little yacht whose captain is, manned with Germans1 and [men of] other nations, to the coasts of Guinea, Peru, and West India, and there to trade and bargain with the savages. Containing also Requests to all Princes and Potentates that they let these ships and their crews pass freely and in peace thither and return again to these provinces. Regarding the petition of Gerrit Bicker for himself and in the name of his Company, all merchants dwelling in Amsterdam, who have it in mind to equip two ships, so as to send them to a certain coast and haven of America Peruana, being a place where never any from these Lands3 have been, and which is also not held by the Spaniards or the Portuguese, and therefore ask freedom from the payment of License and Convoy both going and returning, and this for two full voyages, if so be that God Almighty should be pleased to bless their first voyage as they hope, and this out of regard to the great sums they will lay out on this voyage, and the risk therein lying, it was Resolved, That the States General of the United Netherland Provinces [grant them the desired freedom of convoy for the two voyages] to a certain coast and haven of America Peruana, provided that they shall lade in the aforesaid ships no forbidden goods, and that they shall further be bound, on their return, to bring satisfactory evidence that never anybody from these lands has traded to the aforesaid haven, and make true Report in the meeting of the States General of their experiences, with specification of the places where they have been and have carried on their trade. 1 Note by Prof. Burr.-It is quite possible that this should rather be translated "Dutchmen;" the Netherlanders called themselves also " Duytsche." But it is not so easy to see why, if Dutchmen, they should be mentioned here at all. Note by Prof. Burr.-Of course, Guinea in Africa, not Guiana; trade to Guinea had been in vogue since 1593. (De Jonge, i, p. 37.) The trade route to Brazil passed not far from that coast, and it became usual for Dutch ships to touch there for trade on the way to America. Note by Prof. Burr.-i. e., the United Provinces. No. 2. It is the understanding, that like freedom shall be granted to others who shall likewise desire to go to other unknown havens. This the deputies of Zeeland declared themselves uninstructed to grant. Regarding the Petition of skipper Jan Cornelisz. Leyn, citizen at Enkhuizen, both for himself and also in the name and on behalf of the rest of his Company, having it in mind with two ships, the one named the great and the other the little Sphera Mundi, to sail to the Land of Guiana, situate in the Kingdom of Peru, [and] to this end asking to be granted freedom from convoys, both going and returning, for the six first voyages, it was Resolved [to grant the desired freedom, but only for the two voyages] which they have it in mind to make with their two ships to the unknown and unnavigated havens of America, to wit, to the Land of Guiana, situate in the Kingdom of Peru, herein specified, provided that they shall lade in the aforesaid ships no forbidden goods, and that they shall further be bound, on their return, to bring satisfactory evidence that never anybody from these lands has traded to the aforesaid havens, and to make true Report in the meeting of the States General of their experiences, with specification of the places where they have been and have carried on their trade. Extract from the proceedings of the provincial Estates of Holland, 1597. Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 11–12.] Regarding the request of skipper Jan Cornelisz. Leyen, citizen of Enkhuizen, both for himself and in the name and on behalf of his Company, that in furtherance of their projected voyage to Guiana in the Kingdom of Peru, they be granted assistance by the loan of eight bronze guns, to wit, four of a weight of thirteen or fourteen hundred, and the other four of about two thousand pounds apiece, with all ammunition belonging thereto, for the defence of the ships, on like conditions as have been graciously granted to other laudable sea-voyages, it was Resolved as hereinafter follows: The Estates of Holland and Westfriesland, having considered the petition and request made in this matter, have resolved that, in furtherance of navigation, the merchants petitioners, for their projected voyage, to be made with two ships to the land of Guiana, situate in the realm of Peru, shall be No. 3. assisted by the credit of the State for two pieces of ordinance, to be borrowed by the petitioners from the cities, each not to exceed two thousand pounds in weight. Extract from the proceedings of the States General, 1598. Regarding the petition of Jonas Witssen and Hans Simons and De Jonge, merchants at Amsterdam, making ready a certain ship of a hundred and thirty double-tons named den Morian, in order with merchandise of all sorts to sail to the Coasts of America in the Kingdom of Guiana and other Islands thereabout, in which quarter ships from these lands have never been, there is granted to the said petitioners like freedom from convoy for two voyages, going and returning, to the aforesaid coasts and islands, as has been granted to others, and with the same restrictions, provided that it be to such havens as have not before been sailed to from the United Provinces. Report to the States G eneral of the earliest Dutch voyage to the coast of Guiana (December 3, 1597-October 28, 1598); written by A. Cabeliau, clerk of the expedition, and submitted by him February 3, 1599.1 [Reprinted from U. S. Commission, Report, Vol. 2, pp. 13-22.] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen, and in the year thereof fifteen hundred and ninety-seven, on the third of December, in the morning, we set sail from Briel with two ships, the one named den Zeeridder, of about eighty double-tons, whose skipper is Jacob Cornelisz., alias Oom, the other named den Jonas, of about sixty double-tons, whose skipper is Marten Willemsz., of Schiedam, and so we ran out to sea together and sailed in company until the seventh of the same month, and from that time our ship was separated from the other, being about 44 degrees off the 1 Note by Prof. Burr.-That there is every reason to believe this actually the earliest Dutch voyage to the Guiana coast is elsewhere pointed out. (See report on the evidence of Dutch archives as to European occupation and claim in western Guiana, in vol. i of the report of the Commission.) That it was believed so by the expedition itself is clear from this document. That it was meant as such by its projectors and recognized as such by the States General appears from pp. 9, 10, Vol. 2 of the Report of the U. S. Commission. channel, and did not see each other again (during the whole voyage), although it had been agreed to wait for each other, if we separated, at the island of Palma, one of the Canary Islands. On the seventh of the same month the island of Palma came in sight and we lay to there. Not having sighted Marten Willemsz., on the same day we arrived off the city of Palma and lay there to procure wines for ourselves until the twenty-fifth of January, in the year 1598, and inasmuch as Marten Willemsz. aforesaid did not come, we, the aforesaid, set sail and laid our course for the island of Teneriffe. There we arrived on the 16th and lay off there with our ship, in order to speak several ships which were drifting under the lee of the land, to ask whether they had seen or heard of Marten Willemsz.; but, learning nothing of him, we laid our course on the seventeenth between the island of the Great Canary and Teneriffe to the islands of Cape Verde and so to Cape North. On the ninth of February we caught sight of the land at about five degrees north of the equator, where we cast anchor on the same day and lowered our ship's boat and with it sailed around the islands, seeking whether there was no convenient spot where we could beach our yacht, or sloop, but found it ill-suited and very craggy, so that we were obliged to take the yacht on board the ship and there repair and caulk it as was needful, not without great danger. On the fifteenth we sighted a boat, named by the Indians canoe, which had come from the mainland, a distance of about two miles, from the river Caurora, wherein were six men, one woman, and a little child of the Carib or Yao tribe, and they were entirely naked. It was long before they ventured to come on board, but at last they emboldened themselves by means of drums and in other ways and came on board and called out to us "Anglees," and we answered "Si, Si," and so they came over [the rail] and we led them into the cabin and made it clear to them that we were from Holland, and said, “Hollandees," and treated them very well, so far as we were able, so that they next day went off gayly, and after this evinced much friendship for us. On the seventeenth there came to our ship from the mainland, out of the aforesaid river, three more canoes, in which were men, women, and children to the number of about sixty persons, and this aforesaid tribe, together with the Hebaio and Arawak tribes, continued to come on board with their wares and provisions as long as we lay at the aforesaid islands and also during the time that we lay in the river Cayane,3 next following. On the twenty-seventh of March we set sail for the river Cayani, and that with great opposition on the part of the skipper, although he was assured by us and by an Englishman named Captain John Meysinge, of 1 Note by Prof. Burr.-English. |