ay more at large be seen by the contents
of their petition.

The Director and Council taking the request into consideration, and
looking further into the consequences, resolved that guns and powder, to
a limited extent, be sparingly furnished by the factor at Fort Orange,
on account of the Company, taking good care that no supply should be
carried by the boats navigating the river, until in pursuance of a
further order. It is here to be observed that the Director, fearing
one of two [evils] and in order to keep the colony out of danger, has
permitted some arms to be furnished at the fort. Nobody can prove that
the Director has sold or permitted to be sold anything contraband, for
his own private benefit. That the Director has permitted some guns to be
seized has happened because they brought with them no license pursuant
to the order of the Company, and they would under such pretences be able
to bring many guns. The Director has paid for every one that was seized,
sixteen guilders, although they do not cost in this country more than
eight or nine guilders.

It is true that a case of guns was brought over by Vastrick, by order
of Director Stuyvesant, in which there were thirty guns, which the
Director, with the knowledge of the Vice Director and fiscaal, permitted
to be landed in the full light of day, which guns were delivered to
Commissary Keyser with orders to sell them to the Netherlanders who
had no arms, in order that in time they might defend themselves, which
Keyser has done; and it will appear by his accounts where these guns
are. If there were any more guns in the ship it was unknown to the
Director. The fiscaal, whose business it was, should have seen to it
and inspected the ship; and these accusers should have shown that the
fiscaal had neglected to make the search as it ought to have been done.

Jacob Reinsen and Jacob Schermerhorn are Scotch merchants (pedlers) born
in Waterland, one of whom, Jacob Schermerhorn, was at Fort Orange, the
other, Jacob Reintjes, was at Fort Amsterdam, who there bought powder,
lead and guns, and sent them up to Schermerhorn, who traded them to
the Indians. It so happened that the Company's corporal, Gerit Barent,
having in charge such of the arms of the Company as required to be
repaired or cleaned, sold to the before named Jacob Reintjes, guns,
locks, gun-barrels, etc., as can be proven by Jacob Reintjes' own
confession, by letters written to his partner long before this came