Mathijs van Ceulen Letters

Mathijs van Ceulen served on the Brazil Governing Council (Hoogh Secreeten Raad) from 1636-1641. A bundle of 21 letters written by him during this time period was discovered among West Indische Compagnie documents at Algameen Rijckarschief in Den Haag. The letters dealt with company business, and all but one had multiple signatures.

Below are some of those letters.


25 November, 1638

The only letter in the bundle signed exclusively by Mathijs van Ceulen.
Translation:

Noble, serious, wise, and very discrete gentlemen,

Schipper P. P. Rous has received at his request from the Commissary of the dry........(goods?) the meat of a salted pig, weighing 470 pounds that the ship is prepared to set sail and that the schipper has his supplies, as it should be written down, on board, thus your honours are informed.

Action Recife the Pernambuco(Brazilian Province)
25 Nov, 1638

M Van Ceulen


10 November, 1638


25 Feb, 1639


17 January, 1640


BACK TO THE HOME PAGE