Letters of Aristodemus and Sincerus. 239 



On the 24th of February, 1785, a protest or memorial 

 was forwarded to the Directeur-General, Jan L' ESPIN- 

 ASSE, of which the following is the substance : — 



The undermentioned planters and inhabitants of Dem- 

 erara and the sea-coasts thereof make known : That by 

 the publication of the nth of this month we have been 

 informed : 



That the President, Representatives, and Directors of 

 the West India Company, in taking over this river, have 

 dismissed all the officials, both high and low, as well as 

 the Councillors : 



That in the last meeting of the Ten at Amsterdam, 

 Joseph Bourda, Cornelis Overbroek, and Pieter 

 VAN Helsdingen were elected as Councillors: 



That the second person above-named has died since, 

 and the two others have refused to sit as Councillors on 

 the election of the Company ; therefore three seats are 

 now vacant. 



In consequence of the authority given to the Com- 

 mandeur and the Councillors by resolution of the Ten, 

 there are at present, as Councillors of Policy and Civil 

 and Criminal Justice, only Messrs. C. J. HECKE and F. C. 

 Changuion. To fill the third vacancy a nomination 

 has been sent to the Directors. 



The undersigned beg to call the attention of the 

 Directeur-General to the following : — 



That the Colonial or Burgher Councillors are appointed 

 and chosen from and through the Burghery; they could 

 not therefore be included in the high and low servants, 

 who by the transfer of this river are considered as being 

 discharged and deprived of their service and employ- 

 ment by the Directors : 



