qui nobis est a Secretis, signari voluimus nono die mensis
Novembris anni partae Salutis millesimi septingentesimi quinquagesimi
Septimi stylo novo.

J. BJELLE.

_Translation._

To all who shall examine these letters, we, the burgomasters and
schepens of the city of Rotterdam in the county of Holland, signify
and declare, of certain truth, that Peter Lagerboom, citizen of
Amsterdam, master of this ship called the _Dageroed_, of about 150
lasts burden,[2] has loaded his wares, with which the ship is
freighted, upon her in this town, in order to transport them, with a
favorable wind, to the West Indies, as the said master and the
officers of the said ship have declared to us, asking from us a
let-pass and clearance, by which foreigners may be assured that this
city is not infested by a plague or any other contagious disease.
Since certainly it is a part of our official duty to meet the needs of
our citizens and to offer testimony to the truth, especially for those
who ask it of us, we assure all those to whose care this matter
belongs, that through the goodness of God Almighty this city is not
infected with the plague or any other deadly disease; and accordingly
we desire that those who are requested should accord to this master,
together with his ship, his shipmates and goods, free transit and the
opportunity to carry on traffic freely by land and sea, and should
prohibit that any hindrance should be offered to him in this matter,
nay rather that they should aid him, when his needs require it;
whereby they will lay us under strict obligations to render to them
the same good offices. In testimony whereof we have caused these
letters to be provided with our seal which we use publicly for
business,[3] and signed by the hand of our secretary, on the ninth day
of November in the Year of Salvation 1757, new style.

J. BJELLE.

[Footnote 2: The last was about two tons.]

[Footnote 3: In Continental practice, a municipal corporation usually
had, besides its great seal used for the more solemn public documents,
a lesser seal, called the _sigillum ad causas_, used for minor public
documents or for private papers authenticated by public authority.
This paper bears a seal having the legend "Sigillum ad causas oppidi
Rotterodami", encircling an impression of a castle with portcullis,
standing on a shore, with a swan swimming in front of the gate.]

* * * * *

_198. News of Privateers. May 19