Date: 26 July, 1649

Leendert Janszen and Matthijs Proot, who were on board the Nieuwe Haerlem (Haarlem) that stranded on a sand-bank in Table Bay on 25 March 1647, were asked by the Council of Seventeen to report on the possibilities of a settlement at the Cape, as they had gained first-hand experience during their stay of a more than a year at the Cape. The two officials handed their report, called the 'Remonstrantie' and dated 26 July 1649, to the Chamber of Amsterdam. The document emphasised the establishment of a fort and a garden to provide fresh produce to passing ships and made several other practical recommendations. It pointed out the Cape's strategic location, the fertility of the land, the abundance of fish and, most importantly, the lack of animosity towards strangers of the indigenous people. While it did not lead directly to the Dutch settlement at the Cape in 1652, once a decision had been reached by the Dutch East India Company, the 'Remonstrantie' served as a guide and was of immense importance to the founding of a refreshment post at the Cape. 

Sources:

1. Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 5, p. 410.
2. Potgieter, D.J. et al. (eds)(1970). Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa, Cape Town: NASOU, v. 6, p. 186.
3. Reader's Digest. (1988). Illustrated History of South Africa: the real story, New York: Reader's Digest Association, p. 36.
4. Swart, M.J., et al. (eds)(1980). Afrikaanse Kultuuralmanak,  Aucklandpark: Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge.
5. http://www.tanap.net/content/activities/documents/resolutions_Cape_of_Good_Hope /introduction_english/23.htm