| Notes |
- Eeden (Judith van) ; widow of the late agriculturist, Hendrik Swanepoel ; mentions that her late husband in 1 764 bought from the late free black, Johannes Jansz of Ceylon, a slave named Manna of Boegies, who, especially since the death of her husband, has shown himself very obstinate and un- bridled, so that, for fear of disaster, she had been obliged to do away with and sell him in another country. Accordingly having brought him into town from her place in the country, in IJ7 1 > she requested the Provost, Jan Jacob Doeksteen, to send him away to India, in charge of one or other seaman, in order to be sold there. He accordingly entrusted him to the junior mate of the Ceylon ship " Velzen," viz. : Arnoldus Pietersz : who how- ever found himself unable to carry out his commission ; for hav- ing brought the said slave to Colombo, the latter maintained that he was no slave, but a free man. Accordingly the Court of Justice there decided that the Deed, authorising Pietersz to sell the slave, was sub, and obreptitious (had been obtained under false pretences), so that the slave was given his liberty until the contrary had been proved, as will appear from the an- nexed letter of Pietersz, written from Point de Galle, as well as from the sentence of the Court. Memorialist therefore, in order t~> show that Manna legally belongs to her, submits besides 3 secretarial declarations, that he was formerly the property of Johannes Jansz of Ceylon ; also a note of hand given by her late husband to Jansz, dated i/j-th January, 1754, for Rds. 20, the balance of the purchase amount, and which was in due course properly paid to the seller. As in consequence of this vile action of her slave, she will never be able to prove her right of owner- ship in him, without your powerful assistance, she feels herself compelled to ask you to write in her favour to the Colombo authorities, that the said Manna may by la\vful authority once more be declared a slave, and publicly sold for the benefit of his owner, or sent back to this place. And in case he be sold in Colombo, that the purchase amount may be transmitted to her, less the costs. (N.B. Letter of Pietersz annexed, also sentence 426
SOURCE: Precis of the archives of the Cape of Good Hope (Volume 16)
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