The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-27


transactions that political busybody has
filed his title deeds TO some 5000 COO
square miles OF real estate, while France,
after all her dreams of universal empire,
has been forced back beyond her Rhenish
frontiers, and Spain is now fighting Tor
the last shred of her world conquests
But n still more untow ard fate has been
that Of the Holland pioneers. who have
conquered, titled and planted whole con
tinents of colonies only To see their
neighbors help themselves TO the hirgest.
1he Netherland emigrnnts are, aii IN
nil the most successful coiOnlsts IN the
world. With the same undaunted porso-
verence that enabled their oountrymen 10
wrest thousands OF acres of land from
stormy sea, they have conquered "A loot
hold in countries that proved untebanlo
10 all other comcrs, and adapted them
selves 20 every climate from the humid
coast iungles of SumGtra 10 tho drought
stricken bills of tae East African table
lands Instead OF numbering tho natives
like the Spaniards, or marrying thom
ike the French crcolcs, they have crowded.
them out, step by step, and with effective
precautions against subsequent regoits
They have maintained their strong prac-
tical common scnse amid the meuaccs OF
peril ana tie temptations Ot prosperity,
and the ultimate failure OF their colOnial
enterprises was due almost ~ every case
10 the scant resources OF their inothor
country. They would hold their own
against kailir chieftslns and Dyak dCspor-
ADDE'S, against tigers lions. scrpentss
drouths and floods. but they could not
tight all those enemies Plus gang oi IN
vaiers backed by the first maritime
power OF the world. In the campaign OF
the Spits- kop Range, 1888 they proved
an
number OF British aggressors. but II that
assault had been followed by series of
others superiority of numbers would have
at last prevailed, as 1t prevailed against
the Circassian highlanders ana the Hun
garian patriots.
Three hundred years ago syndicate OF
cntorprlsing Hoilanders chartered settle
ment at the mouth of tie Esssquibo river
and cut roads through the forests OF the
sniae territory that has emnroiled It's
present claimants with the Republic OF
Venezuela The natives were not pcaceiul
fruit eaters like the aboriginos OF Cuba.
but fierce Caribs, who disputed every
inch of their hunting grounds, and had
TO be hunted down like the Florida
Seminoles, by rangers who had purchased
their Typographical knowledge at high
price of toll ami blood. In one engage
mont 800 Dutch frontier guards, with their
native allies, were surrounded, ana ma
rassed by volley of poisoned arrows that
never ceased till the survivors renowned
the hope OF escape and surrounded them
selves with entrenchnents TO sell their
lives as dearly as possible. Almost against
their own expectation, they contrivcd To
keep their enemies at bay till sunset, and.
under cover of darkness, rallied from their
blockade in a desperate attempt To eludc
the vigilance OF the savaRes and make
their way TO the coast settlements. Out
- ..l. ..s.
only two got through alive, but their
arrival in West Zealand with the news of
the defeat resulted in mass levy OF the
able bodied colonists and led TO the nnal
expulsion of the sayages.
aCharles Watertons Wanderings in
Guiana" give an idea of the difficulty OF
surveying operations in country where
every tree forms the nucleus Of u tangled
network of bushropes. joining branch To
branch and intortwisting with the
creepers Of adjoining trees Yet through
that wilderness the Ducth settlers cut
500 miles of practicable wagon roads with
stations corresponding TO the section
houses of our American railways, and
garrisoned with a force OF woodcutters,
who took contract to keep the clearings
open, and I'm their leisure hours were at
liberty TO plant orchards I'm clearings OF
their own or amuse themselves with hunt
ing. The rivers were drodged and freed
from drift wood Sorges; extensive swamps
were drained the wharfs Of New Amster-
dam were secured with piles driven half
hundred feet into the quagmiry soil,
ana the colonies had just begun TO reap
the fruits of centuries Of toll when Sir
George Rodney seized the principal sea-
port towns in 11ol as pledge for tho
liquidation OF certain British indemnity
claims. The settlement of those claims
was followed by the tardy restoration of
the coast cities but in 1906 they were
blockaded again. and after IA brief respite
during the 10 weeks following the peace
OF Amiens were subjected TO ombard-
lnent and forced to surrender The pre-
text of the usurpation was the alleged
identity of the Dutch and French inter
ests but after the collapse OF the French
Empire (Which Holland had joined only
under protest) England forgot 10 restore
her south American conqucsts. Esse-
quibo, Demerara and Berbicc were
bullied into submission To British
governor, ana the disappointed Dutch
colonists transferred the remains of
thoir portable property TO Surinam. where
the fight with the horrors of the wilder
ness bad to be fought over again. Con-
siderable estates were forfeited by ''insur'
gents against the authority of the usurp-
ers. There was no appeal from such de-
cisions The diplomats of tlie Hague pro-
tested, but had TO admit the fact that for
few years Holland had been obligcd'to
cooperate with the arch enemies of Great
Britain. On the same churgl England
might as we'll have seized Snr!inic. Elha
anu the Spanish West Indies Ii the
inability to resist the power Of the Corsi
eau Caesar en;ailed permanent forte iturc
Of colonial possessions, Portugal would
have bad 10 surrender Madeira and Brazil.
The Moluccas were aotaal,y spiz,d on the
same pretext, but having been largely set
tied by refugees from the ucspCtism OF the
oOnoxious autocrat, The injustice of the
proceeding was too glaring, and the colony
was restored in 1914, when Mynheer
kcoper. in behalf of the Dutch planter.
read "a memorial or their sacri icos In aid
Of tie anti-french alliancr, and threatened
TINT IN case of refusal tEcy would destroy
tho plantations OF spice trees that const-
tGtc the chief wealth OF the little archi
Iclag1.
Like the Scotch merchant who hesitated
% break the sabbath in retail. but could
not forego the opportunity OF % wholesale
TRANSACTION the British moralists con
cluded 20 surrender the Moluccas but do
cided to brave public opinion i'm the case
of good-slzed prize, like the Island of
CoylOD. The conquest ot that colony
lad cost the Netherlands "A tVyentv-