Declaration signed by five captains of five different Dutch vessels moored in the harbour of Sydney, Australia, stating that the meat on board of the bark (vessel) Willem Ernst for the provision of the crew was not rotten or badly smelling, but only needed a new salting (pickling). The pencil annotation by J. Hendriks suggests that the inspection of the meat took place in the context of the well-known "Victorian gold rush", which started in 1851. The sailors of the Willem Ernst would have complained about the meat because they wanted to find a pretext for deserting the ship in order to become gold diggers.
The declaration is written on the recto of the first leaf of a blue-ruled double-leaf and signed on board of the Willem Ernst in the harbour of Sydney on 24 December 1853. The five captains had inspected the meat on request of the captain of the Willem Ernst, Batholomeus Justus Doornik (1802-1867), and the butcher, Edward OHara (1811-1863), living in Sydney. The five captains were: Klaas Poel (1819-1858), captain of the Maria Catherina (built in 1852); P. Wap, captain of the Hendrik Jan; J. Henting, captain of the Abel Tasman; Cornelis Marinus Borghorst (1811-?), from 1848-1859 captain of the Orion; and L. M. Delcliseur, captain of the Neerlands Indië.
The paper is lightly browned, and somewhat soiled on the back, it has been folded in the past, with a small tear in the middle, a Dutch pencil annotation by J. Hendriks on the front, dated 23 September 1947, with background information about the work.