The morning call., 1893-06-13
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

A telegraph dispatch announced, lew
days ago. that the death Of Queen Wilhel-
nina of Holland might at any time be ex-
pected. Those who are familiar with tho
life led by her father, King William. were
not surprised at the intelligence; the child,
| who is now Is, has been delicate from her
| birth. The possibility of complications
arising from her death reveals to the
memory curious page of past history In
which accident led to important results.
In the year 1864. Charles II was ruling
England. Perfect peace regned with
Holland. De Witt. the Stakeholder. had
every reason to believe in the friendship
of the British monarch. But the people OF
! the English colonies OF Massachusetts
| Bay and Plymouth were jealous of the SUI
| peror energy displayed by the Dutch at
New Amsterdam in capturing the lions
| share of the trade which was springing up
| between the American colonies, and be-
| tween the latter and the maritime coun-
tries of Europe; they secretly impressed
upon the King the advantages which Eng
| land would derive from the annexation of
| New Amsterdam to New England. Stimuli
| taneously. Charles was beset by his
brother. the Duke Of YOrk, TO give him
government somewhere. Yielding TO the
double pressure, in time of perfect peace,
| without notice or warning, Charles sent
| feet and an army to New Amsterdam and
wrested it out of the hands of the Dutch
the settlers being at the time so exasper-
ated by the arbitrary sway of Peter Stuy-
vesant that they acQuiesced in the transfer
of the colony to the British flag. Thus
New York became English. and so re-
manned until it became part OF the United
States.
History might have been different if
Peter Stuyvesant had happened to be an
intelligent and popular ruler. He might
have put something like 1000 men in the
field, force quite large enough to defend
the colony against an army from England.
The English colonies of Massachusetts
Bay, Plymouth. Connecticut, Maryland
and Virginia were in no situation 10
undertake a war of conquest against the
Dutch. They had enough to do to protect
their own borders against the Indians.
The Dutch colony was richer than the
English colonies, had a larger trade. and
was on good terms with the Iroquois
natives. The chances are that if the
Dutch Of New Amsterdam had been loyal
to Stuyvesant Charles II would not have
attacked him, or, il he had, that he would
have been beaten back. The New Neither
lands might have grown up to be the most
populous and most powerful European
colony on the continent, occupying the
present States of New York and New
Jersey with part of Connecticut.
How would such a colony have acted in
the Revolu tionary War? The Ouch had
little in common with the colonists of
English descent. They were strict Calvin
lists, aud though they @practiced religious
federation, they were as far apart from the
Puritans of New England as from the
Catholics OF Mary land. or the Episcopaians
Of Virginia, or the Rugueuots of Georgia.
They spoke their own tongue. They were
rivals of the English colonists in trade,
especially in the slave trade. They had
their own political institutions. tempered
by the local sovereignty which their
isolation required. The grievances
which induced Boston and Hart
ford and Philadelphia and Rich
mond and Charleston and Savannah to
throw off the English yoke would proba-
bly, not have existed in New Amsterdam.
At the time our Revolutionary War broke
out, the dominant desire of the people of
Holland was to check England's attempt
| to assert supremacy OF the sea. It would
have been remarkably short-sighted policy
in New Amsterdam to join hands with the
revolted British colonies, when in case of
their defeat the result would have been
to make its inhabitants British subjects
and to strip Holland of her possessions in
North America. The chances are that
they would have maintained strict neu-
| trality and would have sold arms and sup
plies to both bellgerents. How that
might have affected the final result is
| curious question.
| That Holland, if it had held New AM
| sterdam, would have made it prosperous
| colony may be inferred from the astonish-
| ing success of the Dutch colonial policy in
! the East Indies. OF the 35 COO, 900 subjects
| of the Queen of Holland about 1850. 600
! live in the mother country and about
| 80, 500, 600 In the colonies. The latter are
prosperous, wealthy and peaceful. 1t is
| the trade which they furnish which has
made Holland rich. There is no such
thing as popular liberty in Java; the
provinces are governed by resident ap-
pointed in Holland. who yields absolute
| power. Yet the people are contented.
Outbreaks are unknown. immigration is
| discouraged there are only about 70, 600
Dutch in the colonies, of whom over three
| fourths were born there. Yet the volume
Of foreign trade is about S170.0 600 per
year.
1t is interesting to speculate on what
might have been the condition of New
York to-day If Peter Stuyvesant had not
been so hated two hundred and forty
| years ago.
|