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Ingekomende Brief 1654, Raad van Politie

Good day, 

I am having trouble deciphering this document. I have uploaded the first page here. I know that it is a record of the first recorded Chinese that was banished from Batavia. In the document, it mentions the crime he is sentenced for. 

Can you please assist me in lifting out the details? 

Thank you all for your time and consideration.

Reacties (6)

René van Weeren zei op di, 08/13/2024 - 20:45

Dear Vanessa,

He is convicted because of attacking another Chinese inhabitant of the city then called Batavia. From the context it shows that according to the prisoner and accused this was a retaliation for an alleged prior beating of his uncle by the man he now attacked himself.

The English translation below follows the Dutch text as parallel as possible and therefore may not appear to be a very 'natural' text, feel free to adapt.

There is one word that has been shortened and I could not solve in the Dutch transcription, from the context it was possible to fill in the blanks for the translated version.

Alsoo den Edele gerechte der
stede Batavia claerlijck ende ten vollen den
rechte genoech sijnde is gebleecken dat T'sincko,
Chinees ingesetene deser stede, geboortich van
F'Jamboy in China, out seventwintich jaren,
jegenwoordich 's heeren gevangen, hem niet en heeft
ontsien en gevreest op den 29en november passato,
des saterdachs, naer middach de clocke ontrent
twee uyren, aen deser stede westzijde op de Lopbaen
ontrent des Compagniethuyn staende, zonder alvooren
eenige de minste questie te moveren, stilswijgende
ende van achteren eenen T'saacko, mede Chinees, soo
als deselve op voors. Lopbaen sat en lopte, bij zijn
hairtuyl te nemen, ende verscheyden vuystslagen toe
te brengen, onder welke voors. slaen bij hem,
Tsaacko, met luyder stemme geroepen zijnde,
Waerom slaet ghij mij, wierde hem van den gevangene
daer op geantwoort, Omdat ghij voor dato mijn
oom hebt geslagen, ende ick u nu daer voor be...
geven zal, slaende ende stootende ondertusschen seer
vehement ende onbarmhartelijck sonder het
hair los te laten op gemelte Tsaacko, aen waer
ende ter plaetse hem best raacken ofte treffen
conde, als in zijn aengesicht, op zijn rugge, in
sijn zijde, ende eyndelijck hem het hooft op

EN

As it has appeared to the esteemed court of
the city of Batavia clearly and fully
and sufficiently according to justice that T'sincko,
Chinese inhabitant of this city, born in
F'Jamboy in China, aged 27,
at the present captive of our lords, has not
refrained nor has feared on the 29th of November past,
on Saturday, around two o'clock in the afternoon,
at the west side of this city, standing on the Lopbaen
about the Company's garden, has, without providing the least
motivation beforehand, silently
and from the back grabbed a certain T'saacko, also a Chinaman, as
the same was sitting and walking on the aforementioned Lopbaen at his
queue, and administering him several blows with his fist,
while Tsaacko, being beaten up as aforementioned,
called out with a loud voice:
Why are you beating me, the prisoner
replying to him: Because you have in the past
beaten my uncle, and I will now repay you for this,
meanwhile beating and stumping very
heavily and merciless teh aformentioned Tsaacko, without leaving grip of his
hair, at any place
on his body where he could best hit and strike him,
in his face as well as on his back and
in his side, and finally his head on

Vanessa Chen zei op wo, 08/14/2024 - 10:40

Dear René and Andreas,

Thank you very much for helping me with this. I appreciate it.

I found online a snippet of this document translated. I am trying to determine if "F'Jamboy" is indeed in China. Do you have any idea what this is referring to?

I did a search online, and another researcher who translated a small snippet of this document says that it is actually Jambi in Indonesia which I am hesitant of as it clearly states "F'Jamboy in China". 

What are your thoughts on this? 

 

René van Weeren zei op wo, 08/14/2024 - 12:05

@ Andreas: ik ben er nog niet helemaal zeker van, omdat het inderdaad qua context minder past...

@ Vanessa: The problem with this is multifold: first of all, the old name may have changed to a new one, making it harder to retrieve. Secondly, names of persons and locations were written down phonetically, which mat of course cause a wide variety of spelling forms. And third, the understanding of country names back then may differ from our current understanding; i.e., the definition of what should be considered as 'China' back then may differ from our current understanding of China's boundaries and territories. You may need to consult a specialist on Chinese town names for this...

Andreas zei op wo, 08/14/2024 - 12:34

@Vanessa: René is right about the difficulties in solving this location. Personally, I would consider the place Shanghai as a not unlikely possibility. I can imagine that a Dutchman, hearing a Chinese pronounce Shanghai in a chinese way, writes it down like that. But it could well be another place.

I found your online reference to the place being Jambi on Indonesia.

https://mansellupham.wordpress.com/2020/03/02/the-1st-2nd-chinese-perso…

I suspect it was the author of the article who added '[Jambi on Sumatra, Indonesia]', because it's between square brackets. You could try to contact him and ask him what evidence he has to support his claim that "F'Jamboy in China" is in fact a town on Sumatra.

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