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The following translation into English also re-formats the document so that the footnotes appear next to each individual.
The major credit for this translation goes to Geert Kamphuis.
It is possible that the 'petition to the government' referred to is the one referred to at "De Planters van Essequibo en Demerary". This was a letter of protest and petition sent by a group of settlers to the Directors of the Dutch West India Company in several cities in Holland. The copy referred to at this site is held at central archives of the City and Province of Groningen. The settlers complain in the letter about their problems during the fourth Anglo-Dutch war (1780-1784). During this period, Essequibo and Demarary was occupied by the English and the French. After the war the colonies were returned to the Dutch West India Company. However, the company set up an new governor, and took the ancient right of the planters away.
Translation
Copy of an attachment to a letter, from mister ....
to mister ....
Names of owners of one or more Plantations, situated in July 1785 in the Demerary area.
NB: the names with an X in front did not sign the petition to the government (GK: Hoge Heren Mogendheden = government of the Seven Provinces, then the name of the Netherlands), those with an R belong to the Council, and those with OR are the old Council and are presently licensed.
This list starts with the most westerly plantations on the coast, then follows the westbank of the river, and the canals, continues from the eastbank to the coast, and then in the Ckeerg Mahaijka the eastern boundary of the cultivated lands, everything made up from the tables of the French, furthermore corrected and augmented by two inhabitants, who have been in the Colonies for a long time and know the subject quite well.
NB: FR means French, Eng means Englishmen, Scotsmen, Irish men or N. Americans, and if by accident some are indicated as English, but are as a matter of fact from the Islands, than they are from the English Islands, Eijl means Islanders mainly they are Barbadians (GK: I assume from Barbados), and some others islands, and only few from St Eustatius, Brab means Brabanders (GK: the current province of Noord-Brabant from the Netherlands and the province Brabant from Belgium) of people from Flanders, Holl means coming from one of the seven provinces or from the Generaliteitslanden (GK: probably the colonies).
This list has been made in good faith, ? especially was quite accurately given. Included are even Woodmakers (GK: literal translation), and the smallest plantations. Some are absent, of whom it is uncertain whether they will return or stay, Macaré ? & Fabre Holl/Holl, of others we presently don't know.
Those who are not old licensed council members and are not presently a member of the council, and who have not signed the Request are therefore only three, Carel Brandes, Holl, brother in law of council member Macaré
Cells an Englishman, Fr. Changuion, Holl. Uncle of the present council member F C Changuion.
NB: If we now count the so-called Hollanders, then we will find a very small number, and if one knows all of them, even only superficially, than one will find most of them such, of whom one may freely say, without doing them wrong in any way, that they are completely incompetent, to be members of the council of Justice, although there may be one or two who would be capable of being the head of such a court of Justice.
