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Inventory No. 1/1 Inventory of the Archives of the Secretary, Council Of Inventory No. 1/1 Inventory of the archives of the Secretary, Council of Police, 1649 - 1795 Dr. G.C. de Wet Cape Town Archives Repository ©2003 This inventory is written in English. 1/1 3 CONTENTS FONDS SPECIFICATIONS CONTENT AND STRUCTURE ...................................................... 5 Context ................................................................................................................... 7 Biographical History ............................................................................................7 Custodial History .................................................................................................7 Content and Structure ............................................................................................ 9 Scope and Content ...............................................................................................9 Appendices ........................................................................................................... 11 Concordance ..................................................................................................... 11 ................................................................................................................................... 79 Resolutions ............................................................................................................ 80 Draft Minutes ......................................................................................................... 89 Letters Received ..................................................................................................... 90 Letters Received: Nederburgh and Frykenius .......................................................... 104 Annexures to Letters Received .............................................................................. 107 Petitions and Nominations ..................................................................................... 115 Memorials and Reports ......................................................................................... 119 Letters Despatched ............................................................................................... 122 Journals ............................................................................................................... 135 Ship's and other journals ....................................................................................... 145 Public Notices' Books ........................................................................................... 148 Statues of India .................................................................................................... 151 Instructions .......................................................................................................... 153 Declarations ......................................................................................................... 157 Oath Books .......................................................................................................... 166 Burgher Complaints .............................................................................................. 167 Lease Conditions .................................................................................................. 169 Diverse Records ................................................................................................... 170 4 1/1 1/1 5 FONDSSPECIFICATIONS Title Archives of the Secretary, Council of Police Period: 1649 - 1795 Fonds Code: 1/1 Extent: 95.65 lin.metre Repository: Cape Town Archives Repository Creator(s): Council of Police Abstract: Contains records covering the entire period of the VOC’s administration of the Cape, 1652 - 1795 and originating from the central ruling body, the Council of Policy. Records include the resolutions (minutes) of the Council; letters received; letters dispatched; journals of the Cape governors; journals of the magistrates of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein and of Swellendam; ships' journals; proclamations and instructions; affidavits; burgher complaints and lease conditions. 6 1/1 1/1 7 CONTEXT BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY The government of the Dutch East India Company at the Cape was in the hands of the Council of Policy under the chairmanship of the Commander, later the Governor. Initially, the Council consisted of three members, but in 1685 the membership was increased to eight. Other members were the Secunde who was vice - governor and vice - chairman of the Council. The Fiscal was the prosecutor in criminal cases and the Chief of the Garrison was the Commander of the Castle and assessor member of the Council of Policy. The Dispensor's task was provision of and supervision over supplies while the Magazine or Store Master and the Factor also had seats on the Council. [2] The key figure was the Secretary, who as an executive official, was not initially a full member of the Council, having no vote. [3] When visits were received from high officials and ships' captains they had seats on the Council of Policy which then became known as the Broad or General Council. Until the Court of Justice was established in 1656, the Council of Policy was the only governing body and was invested with legislative, executive and judicial authority. [4] Other government offices such as the Orphan Chamber (1674), [5] the Landdrost at Stellenbosch (1685) [6] and later other magistrates' offices, in due course took over some of the duties of the Council of Policy. This body, however, fulfilled virtually all the most important governing functions to the end of the Dutch administration. The Council of Policy legislated for the administration of the country, issued instructions on all kinds of matters, imposed taxes, made appointments, granted land, heard petitions and managed all military and naval affairs, etc. [7] The government's functions were therefore centralised in the hands of a non - representative body - a situation that gradually led to increasing unrest and discontent which by the end of the Company's period had evolved into widespread resistance by the colonists (the Cape Patriots). [8] Towards 1791, the once powerful Company had an enormous burden of debt and was faced with economic ruin. Two members of a commission from the States General, Nederburgh and Frykenius, came to the Cape in 1792 to try and salvage the deteriorating situation but succeeded only partially in doing so. [9] The British fleet which arrived in Simon's Bay in June 1795, and the subsequent military action, led to the formal surrender of the Cape to the British commanders on 16 September 1795. [10] CUSTODIAL HISTORY On the whole, the documents of the different main series have remained fairly well preserved. 2. Theal: History, II, p.270. 3. Ibid. 4. A.J.H van der Walt and others: Geskiedenis van Suid - Afrika, II, p.27. 5. Ibid, p.34. 6. Theal: History, II, p.271. 7. C.F.J Muller, ed.: 500 years history of South Africa, p.92. 8. Van der Walt and others: Geskiedenis, p.29. 9. Ibid, p.31. 10. Muller, ed.: 500 years, p.81. 8 1/1 The entire archives of the Council of Policy is bound and in a very good physical condition. 1/1 9 CONTENT AND STRUCTURE SCOPE AND CONTENT Hiatuses are evident in the series of miscellaneous and diverse documents such as journals and memorials or petitions. The series Resolutions (minutes or proceedings of the Council) is the main documentary series of the Council of Policy, as well as the most important and best preserved series of documents that originated in the Company period. The series Journals records the daily events, weather reports, etc. at the Cape. Hiatuses in this series are covered by copies of the Hague texts which are available in the Verbatim Copies series. The series Annexures was first described as annexures to the resolutions but with rebinding this was corrected and in the revised list described as Annexures to Letters Received. Finding aids in the form of original registers and indexes virtually do not exist, and where registers do exist, they are incomplete. 10 1/1 1/1 11 APPENDICES CONCORDANCE The following chart shows the reference codes of the 2003 Inventory with the corresponding reference codes in the previous edition. Old Ref. No. New Ref. No. 786/787 603 786/787 604 786/787 605 786/787 606 293/294 1231 293/294 1232 293/294 1233 566a 1773 566a 1774 566a 1775 566a 1776 566a 1777 566b 1778 566b 1779 566b 1780 566b 1781 566b 1782 574/575 1834 574/575 1835 652/653 2223 653/654 2224 654/655 2227 655/656 2229 656/657 2230 777/776 2308 716B 2328 716B 2329 716B 2330 716A 2331 716A 2332 723/781 2383 367/1 2513 367/2 2514 369/1 2519 369/2 2520 12 1/1 Old Ref. No. New Ref. No. 741A 2665 741A 2666 741A 2667 741A 2668 741A 2669 741A 2670 737/737 2681 797a 2744 797b 2745 795/796 2747 1 1 1 2 2 3 2 4 2 5 2 6 2 7 2 8 3 9 3 10 3 11 3 12 3 13 4 14 5 15 5 16 5 17 6 18 6 19 6 20 6 21 6 22 6 23 7 24 7 25 7 26 7 27 8 28 8 29 8 30 9 31 1/1 13 Old Ref. No. New Ref. No. 9 32 9 33 10 34 10 35 10 36 10 37 11 38 11 39 11 40 11 41 12 42 12 43 12 44 12 45 13 46 13 47 13 48 14 49 14 50 14 51 14 52 15 53 15 54 15 55 16 56 16 57 16 58 17 59 17 60 17 61 17 62 17 63 17 64 18 65 18 66 18 67 18 68 18 69 18 70 19 71 20 72 14 1/1 Old Ref. No. New Ref. No. 20 73 20 74 21 75 22 76 22 77 22 78 23 79 23 80 23 81 24 82 24 83 24 84 25 85 25 86 26 87 26 88 27 89 27 90 27 91 28 92 28 93 28 94 28 95 28 96 29 97 29 98 29 99 29 100 29 101 30 102 30 103 30 104 30 105 30 106 30 107 30 108 31 109 31 110 31 111 31 112 32 113 1/1 15 Old Ref. No. New Ref. No. 32 114 32 115 33 116 33 117 33 118 33 119 34 120 35
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