seats in the admiralties in amsterdam and rotterdam were held to be especially lucrative. the committee of the admiralty of amsterdam was nearly always filled by former mayors. pay amounted to 1,000 guilders per annum, and often much more than that. in practice, remunerations could be greatly increased by a variety of perks and compensations. according to a member from groningen, commissioning was no "witch-finder's work" and he gladly kept it on.