Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-09-12
eon6rm the disposition taken by the king

has destroyed the independence OF Holland.
Her system has necessarily become the
same with that of France. She is obliged
to take part in all the maritime wars of
France, as if she were one ofhsr provinces.
Since the creation of the arsenal OF the
ScheIdt, and the anLex ation to France OF
the provinces composing the departments
of the mouth of the Rhine and the mouth
of the Scheldt, the commercial existence
of Holland has become precarious. The
merchants of Antwerp, Client, and Middle
burgh, whu can, without any restriction,
| extend their speculations to the extremlties
of the empise, of which they form a part
! necessarily carry on the which
| Holland transacted. Rotterdam and Bor-
drecht arc already on the verge of ruin /;
| these cities having lost the Of the
| Rhine, which goes direct, by the new from
tier, to the port of the Scheldt, passing
| through the Biesboch. The part of HoI-
land, which is still alien to the empire, is
| deprived Of the advantages enjoyed by the
part united thereto. Compelled, neverthe-
less, 10 make common cause with France,
Holland will have to support the charges of
this allowance without reapinb any OF its
benefits.
Holland is sunk under the weight of
| her public debt, which amounts to between
IS and 90 millions, that is to say, a fourth
| more than the debt Of the whole empire /;
| and if 4 reduction had been projected by
the government of the country, it would
| rot have been in its power to give a guar
antee Tor the inviolabIIi,y and permaneuce
of such a measure, inaslnuch az the debt,
if even reduced tC so millions, would still
be beyond the actual means and ability Of
| that country. 1t is estimated Holland pays
triple the sum that France pays. The peo-
! ME groan under the weight of ~twenty-three
distinct descriptions OF contributions. The
| Dutch nation sinks under its contributions,
and can no longer pay them.
Never heless, the necessary expences
of the government require that this burden
should be augmented. The budget for the
marine amounted, in 1900, to three mil
lions onlv OF forms, a sum scarcely suAi-
/ cient to pay the administrators, the officers,
and seamen, and to defray the expence of
the arsenals, and which has not admitted of
! the equipment of a single ship Of war. To
! provide tor the armament ordered in 1910,
and which is the minimum Of the naval force
necessary for The defence fHoVand, triple
that sam would be requisite. The war
budget has scarcely afforded a suhiciency
for maintaining the foruesses and 16 bstta-
liens ard whiIsttwo branches Of such i'm.
portance are so far from having what is ne
cessary for supporting the honor and dignity
Of independence, the interest of the public
debt has ceased to be paid. 1t is more than
a year and a half in arrear.
If in such a state Of things your majes-
ty maintain the recent dispositions, by as
signing to Holland a provisional govern.
ment, you will only be prolonging her pain
full agony. If the government of a prince
in the vigor of life has left the country in
SO distressed a situation, what can be ex-
pected from a long minority? 1t cannot
| therefore be saved but by a new order of
things. The period of the power and pres
perity of Holland was when it formed part
of the greatest monarchy then in Europe.
Her incorporation with the great empire is
the only stable condition in which Holland
can henceforth repose from her sufferings
and long vicissitudes, and recover her an
cient prosperity.
"Thus, ought your majesty to decide in
favor of such an union, for the interest, nay
more, for the salvation of Holland. She
ought to be associated in our blessings, as
she has been associated in oul calamities.-
But another interest still more imperiously
indicates to your majesty the conduct which
you ought to adopt.
Holland is in fact a shoot from the
French territory; it constitutes a portion Of