Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-03-10
PROF. MUIR'S LECTURE.
Instructive Discourse On Drama of
The Seventeenth Century.

The lecture of Prof. Muir last night
on the Colonial Rivarlies of the
| Great Powers" was not only instruo-
tive in the highest degree, but created
| a desire to amplify his narrative BY
/ further acquaintance with the h.stor-
| ical events he spoke of in systematic
and condensed form. The actors in
the great drama of the seventeenth
century, the geography, the descrip
| tion Of the places, the causes of the
events which transpired and their re-
suits. displayed clearly the affairs of
nations and individuals
He first told sof the buccaneers or
pirates who t9ok possession of the
large islands Of the West Indies. sim
ply to get gold by robbing vessels.
plundering in some unlawful way.
avoiding tilling the soil He attrib.
n ted the new settlement in the western
world to the destruction of the Span
ish Armada, and spoke of the Spanish
and Portuguese as flee hooters only,
whose love for gold was paramount to
all else. The English, Dutch, Danes,
Swedes. took the small islands and
titled the soil. but all considered pi-
raoy the most available means of ac-
combating wealth.
The spirit of pilIage and basely got
ten treasure was in the air. But the
Dutch saw more than any, the advan.
tage of agriculture, and soon felt the
necessity of obtaining more land. So
in few well chosen words, the lee
turer told of the enterprise, industry,
commercial audacity of the Dutch
around the world-lndia, Australia or
New Holland, as it as called, South
Africa and the wonderful success of
the nation in America when they OBJ
tanned large territory on the Eastern
and Western coasts. The fact that
England used Dutch ships for her en-
terprise was dwelt on and the colonies
everywhere of the brave inhabitants of
the Netherlands was made prominent.
To express the Dutch idea of sue.
cessful tradinga couplet was quoted
The trouble is always with the Dutch,
They give too little, and take too
much.
He stated that the American colo
nies existed as the result of domestic
difficulties, religious or military,
among the nations of Europe, except
Virginia, but during the latter half
of the seventeenth century, after
Cromwell had seen the Importance
and value of colonial territory (Which
sentiment he got from the Dutch) the
colonial idea was regarded favorably.
AS a historian, he thought Charles
the Second had been done Injustice.
He was King, who, after the Resto.
ration, did great deal for England
benefit by colonization. He paid a
high tribute to Colbert, the great Sec
Tetary of Louis the Fourteenth, and
attributed reforms in finance, in
dustry, education and exploration in
America by the French to him. The
French successes in Canada through
tact with Indians, and their naviga.
tion of the great lakes aud finally the
Mississippi river, leading to great re-
suits, was portrayed.
Germany and her little states were
left ont of his discourse with q word
or two. but Russia's conquests through
Northern Asia were spoken of. The
leading thought of the discourse was
that. Notwithstanding the rival colo
Uies in America and elsewhere were
at each others throats for conquest,
the way was being paved by all the
discord and divisions among those
vanished peoples for a coming century
that should show great Improvement
The eighteenth century will be the
subject of the next lecture and the
audience was led to think the lecturer
would tell in it how the generations
that have done their work and gone
to their rest still live in the world
which has PASSED out of their posses
sion into ours. so that the great human
family remains unbroken and contin-
uous-the fathers still touching the
sons who have come into their places.
After stating that at the end of the
seventeenth century all Europe claim
ed colonies, the last thought presented
was that governments instead of indi-
viduals were now favoring colonial
tion and they would show us a strange
enrr, horafofOro nnEuOxrn