Document: Minute of the hearing of a claim lodged by some Indians to Secaucus

This day Councillors Cornelis Steenwyck and Cornelis van Ruyven heard, by order of Governor Colve, in Fort Willem Hendrick, the claim of some Indians who assert that Sicakus,[1] a small island situate behind Bergen, was not sold, but only Espatingh and its dependencies, and that other Indians blamed them for having sold land that was not theirs; whereupon the deed of purchase being examined and arguments further heard, they find the aforesaid Island to be included in the sale made in January, Anno 1658, but not In the sale of the land of Espatingh, which being interpreted and explained to them by Saartie van Borsim, they say they did not know it; propose that they ought to have a present of an anker of rum, which those interested, in order to obviate further difficulty, have consented to give them.Read and considered the petition of Mary Varlet, wife of William Teller, setting forth that he is gravely injured by a certain judgment pronounced by the Court of Willemstadt, on the [ ] last, between the Petitioner and Gideon Schaets, requesting therefore that it may be taken up in appeal, &c.; which request being taken into consideration and the papers examined,It is ordered:Fiat mandamus in case of appeal.