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In the past, plantation owners in Banda lost an important way to make money due to a sad event. This loss of trees was very serious for the company. Since the problems began in Banda, no solutions could be found to help the plantation owner, the powerless councils, or the other unfortunate residents without asking for help from the same company. This company now faced costs and losses that had no equal examples in the records of past and present centuries.

The writer was not against considering whether it would be better if the plantation owners were kept uncertain about everything instead of being given immediate information about when they would receive their payments. Some plantation owners did not care about the company's interests and were careless.

In Banda, there had been a 5-year pause on paying interest on borrowed money. The total borrowed capital was 264,000 guilders, which meant a very significant saving of 59,900 guilders in interest. Despite this, the plantation owners still received 164,708 guilders and 42 stuivers from other regular local income for their general living expenses. They also received payment for nutmegs delivered over the following 5 years, which was 3,294 guilders and 37 stuivers per year, according to two lists numbered 3 and 4, besides the writer's separate letter of 19 August 1772.

There was very great difficulty in Batavia regarding the Banda survey obtained in 1693. Because of the terrible eruption of the volcano at that time, there were 80,196 fewer productive fruit-bearing trees than had been counted in 1686. At that time there still remained:

• 70,839 fruit-bearing trees
• 185,794 half-grown trees
• 315,354 young trees
• 579,987 trees in total

When 39,894 trees were subtracted according to the count from July 1778, there was a considerable negative difference of 540,093 trees in total. This could be used as a very urgent supporting argument for the writer's third proposal in his separate letter from May of this year.

The administrator reported that plantation owners in Banda had lost their main source of income due to a disaster. This loss of trees was very concerning for the Dutch East India Company. No solutions could be found to help the plantation owners, the weak colleges, or other unfortunate residents without asking the Company for help. The Company itself was facing heavy burdens and losses that had no equal in past or present records.

The administrator wondered if it might be better not to immediately inform the plantation owners about when they would receive their compensation payments, but instead to keep them uncertain. He argued that some plantation owners had become indifferent to the Company's interests and careless about Banda's welfare.

Despite these problems, the plantation owners had received:

• A suspension of interest payments on their borrowed capital totaling 264,000 guilders, which meant a significant debt relief of 59,400 guilders in interest
• Additional regular local income for their general support amounting to 164,708 guilders and 42 stuivers
• Payment for nutmeg deliveries over 5 years at 3,294 guilders and 37 stuivers per year, as shown in documents numbered 3 and 4, and in a letter from August 19, 1742

The administrator also referred to the serious difficulties in Batavia regarding a Banda survey from 1693. Due to volcanic activity at that time, there were 80,196 fewer fruit-bearing trees than had been counted in 1686. However, in 1693 there were still:

• 70,839 fruit-bearing trees
• 185,794 half-grown trees
• 315,354 young trees
• 579,987 trees in total

After subtracting 39,894 trees reported in the count of July 1778, there was a considerable negative difference of 540,093 trees in total. This could serve as strong supporting evidence for his third proposal from his separate letter from May of that year.

Van Bande reported about the fruit-bearing trees from April 1 to mid-August, which had not produced any fruit. Because many branches were damaged, the total amount of nutmeg and mace that could be collected in 1780 could only be calculated the following year. With good harvests and no setbacks, only very small amounts of spices could be obtained from such a limited number of trees.

Regarding the young growing trees, the resident reported that their growth period should be calculated as taking between 3 and 24 months at most. The commissioners from Neira determined the period as being from 3 to 5 years. This meant the first trees would need about 13 years and the last ones would need 10 to 12 years before they could produce worthwhile harvests.

Regarding the seeds planted in the ground, even more time was required. In his opinion, the set period of 15 years showed no mistakes that could be criticized.

To support this negative assessment, several points should be remembered:

• The example from 1763 regarding compensation for damage caused by the severe earthquake that occurred on September 1 of that same year
• Van Sande shared his findings with a 5-year suspension of interest payments on borrowed capital, which in their case totaled 264,000 rijksdaalders, resulting in a very notable debt relief of 59,400 rijksdaalders in interest
• Despite this, they still received 164,708 rijksdaalders and 42 stuivers from other regular income for their general maintenance
• Delivered nutmeg and mace in the following 5 years amounted to 3,294 rijksdaalders and 37 stuivers per year, according to lists number 3 and 4 attached to his letter of August 19, 1772
• The extremely great concern in Batavia about the news from Banda received in 1693 that due to the fury of the volcano, 80,196 main fruit-bearing trees were found to be missing compared to the count made in 1686

At that time there remained:

• 78,839 fruit-bearing trees
• 185,794 half-grown trees
• 315,354 young trees
• Total: 579,987 trees of various types

After subtracting 39,894 trees reported in the count of July 1778, there would be a considerable negative difference of 540,093 trees of various types. This could serve as a very pressing supporting argument for his third proposal in his separate letter from May of that year.

• First item by reduction: 126,396 rixdollars
• Second item: 171,131 rixdollars and 41 stuivers
• Third item: 10,837,500 rixdollars

• 17,216 fruit-bearing trees
• 23,618 young growing trees
• 35,935 pits planted in the ground

• The costs of various expensive but necessary assistance to plantation owners and colleges
• The disruption of various revenues from leases, loaned capital, and spice tithes
• The loss of many millions in profits from nutmeg and mace, both in Asian trade and through sales in Europe

1. The assistance to keep plantation owners and make required payments to colleges amounted to 161,396 rixdollars (see first section of appendix A number 1)
2. For the disruption of taxes, interest payments and spice tithes, a capital sum of 228,175 rixdollars and 39 smaller units had to be set aside (see appendix number 1, second section)
3. According to Banda's official description from 1735

• Problems clearing fallen trees along steep heights on one side
• The impossibility of removing trees piled up in deep valleys due to dangerous positions and lack of workers
• Young trees dying quickly from drought
• Seeds rotting in the ground

• 4 plots in Neira: 150 rixdollars, totaling 37,790 rixdollars
• 5 plots in Pelans: 50 rixdollars, totaling 22,900 rixdollars
• 6 plots on the inner coast: 90 rixdollars, totaling 77,085 rixdollars
• 12 plots in Conthoir: 50 rixdollars, totaling 101,671 rixdollars
• 6 plots in Ourien: 4 rixdollars, totaling 25,880 rixdollars
• 7 plots in Waijer: totaling 71,150 rixdollars
• 14 plots: totaling 8,488 rixdollars
• Additional plots: totaling 44,200 rixdollars

• Whether the reportedly surviving 8,945 nutmeg trees were actually dead due to damaged branches and lack of necessary protection
• How many additional trees had fallen since the initial survey that were not counted in the first inspection

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• P. I. Valckenaer
• G. C. Meurs
• J. G. v. Raesoelo
• G. W. v. Rengsse
• A. de Champagnet
• B. v. de Walle
• K. Koenes

• Leaders would serve as guides on the expedition to the Sangir Islands
• It would prevent the Alfurs (indigenous people) from mistakenly seeing Company subjects as enemies and mistreating them due to misunderstanding

• A meeting took place in July 1777 to discuss military action against enemies.
• The council decided not to send a ship called the Baak to the Sangias islands because most sailors had already left for Manado with the Baak, and it was uncertain whether the ship would find the enemy there or defeat them.
• The council remembered that the king of Ternate had sent 4 agreed-upon war vessels plus 5 or 6 well-manned war ships with the Baak to Manado to patrol against the Magindanao people.
• The council proposed asking the king to redirect these patrol ships from the coast of Celebes to the Sangirs islands to search for and chase away the enemy.
• All council members approved this proposal on the 31st.
• Secretary Koenes and interpreter van Dijk were immediately sent to present this plan to the king on behalf of the governor and council.
• They requested that if the king agreed, he should prepare written orders for the patrol ship commanders, which the council would send to Manado with a Chinese vessel that planned to sail there soon.
• The two representatives returned shortly and reported that the king of Ternate immediately agreed to the proposal and would quickly write orders for his officers to search for and fight the Magindanao people in the Sangias.
• The king requested that Resident Hemmekam be instructed to provide his people with proper food supplies before departure, so lack of provisions would not ruin the government's useful plan or prevent his men from taking effective action against the enemy.
• The king also requested that Resident Hemmekam provide his patrol fleet with 2 or 3 experienced sailors from Manado.

• The council decided to remind Hemmekam again that the 170 men from Ternate who were coming, together with their 130 companions who were already on Manado, would have to protect the Manado outposts of Rema and Amoerang. This had already been explained to the Resident in a secret letter from 6 February and an extract from secret letters to Their High Lordships dated 1 July 1776. These papers would serve as fundamental instruction documents for Hommekam.
• However, because it was impossible to foresee all situations and events, the council members unanimously decided not to bind the Resident completely to these orders. Instead, they allowed him to use part of the paid Ternatese soldiers in other nearby places if the situation required it, in order to control the enemy. The Resident would have to be able to justify his actions at all times. In such cases, at least half of the local soldiers would have to remain at Zema and Amoerang to protect those places, which was the main reason for hiring them. The council also told the Resident that it went without saying that when everything was quiet in Manado and the surrounding area, the 300 Ternatese and Alfurese soldiers should be stationed at Kema and Amoerang as planned, and not elsewhere.
• The discussion then turned to the crew that the bark ship De Ida would need to be able to attack and defend against the enemy. The Governor explained that he had consulted with equipment supervisor Adolfs and commander van der Staal, who both thought that at least 80 or 90 men were needed to operate such a large vessel and to fight the enemy. The council members agreed that fewer crew would not work, so they decided to set the total crew of the bark De Ida at 83 men.
• However, when this ship arrived it had only 37 men.

• Officials discussed expecting a desired outcome with anticipation.
• They decided to publicly announce that weapons and military supplies had been provided to the people of Ternate, both at the request of the king of Ternate and to enable the Ternate people to bravely resist the enemy.
• The following war ammunition was given to the combined war boats for later accounting, in addition to the king's own artillery and the native weapons of the Ternate people:
  • 400 pounds or 8 barrels of gunpowder
  • 8 metal cannons of ½ pound ball
  • 1 iron cannon
  • 270 cannon balls of ½ pound
  • 62 grapeshot of ½ pound
  • 500 sharp musket cartridges
  • 12 grapeshot of 1 pound
  • 30 round shot of 1 pound
  • 18 long shot of 1 pound
  • 24 muskets
  • 24 small cartridge pouches
  • 100 flints
• It was decided that Resident Hemmekam should be informed about these items and other important points of this operation, so he could ensure these goods were not wasted unnecessarily or embezzled by the natives.
• Hemmekam also had to ensure these military supplies were divided as evenly as possible among the 300 paid Ternate soldiers when the raiding vessels departed.
• The exact departure time of the auxiliary force from this port should be given to Hemmekam so he could regulate the distribution of the designated rations as gifts to the people of Salempoeri.
• Hemmekam was strongly recommended again to treat the paid Moluccan soldiers well and friendly, pay them on time, and help them without harming the Company, so the Council would not have to hear complaints like those the natives brought against the leaders of the Celebes expedition the previous year.

• The authorities showed interest in Houque's accounts when opportunities arose
• The resident of Gorontalo, de Walle, and later resident Mol worked hard to force Houque's debtors in Gorontalo to pay

Ajo Tjanko, a Chinese engineer, wrote a letter to Paulus Gothofredus van der Voort, who was Governor and Director.

On 26 July, he received a letter via Amboina from 30 November 1775. From this letter, he learned that no English ships or vessels had been seen near Maccassar or in the Bouton strait for some time. This year, nothing special had been heard about the English or other European foreigners either.

However, the northwest coast of Celebes, especially the area of Manado, had been seriously troubled this year by pirates from Magindanau. In May, these pirates attacked these coasts with no less than 40 heavily armed pirate ships. According to rumors, some of these ships had crews of 300 men. Because of this large force, the pirates captured the post at Kema and the Company's ships Sara Maria and het Haasje.

This forced them to send an equally strong fleet against these criminals. The fleet included:

• the ship Schoonzigt which was present there
• 2 ships called Pantjallangs
• 4 armed boats from Ternate called Corra Corras

Together, these ships had crews of more than 600 men. Unfortunately, this fleet did not find the pirates, as they had fled shortly before. However, according to rumors and some statements that came in, the letter continued but was incomplete, dated 31 July 1776, from Macassar via Amboina.