186 



NETHERLANDS (STATISTICS.) 



her, 1799, the navy was again almost totally annihi- 

 lated. Under the French dominion, pretty large 

 squadrons were stationed in the Nieuwe Diep and 

 before Antwerp, of which, by the treaty of Paris, of 

 May 31, 1814, the whole of the first and two thirds of 

 the last were transferred to the Netherlands ; so that, 

 in May, 1814, the Dutch navy contained in all thirty 

 vessels of war. In the year 1827, the navy contained 

 seventy-six sail, with 2296 guns, among which were 

 fourteen ships of the line, twenty-two frigates, eight 

 corvettes, and six. brigs. The navy list was com- 

 posed of 270 officers, a lieutenant-admiral, seven vice 

 and eight rear admirals (in Dutch. Schoitt by nacht), 

 a commander with the broad pennant, twenty-eight 

 captains, forty-eight lieutenant-captains, ninety-five 

 first lieutenants, and ninety second lieutenants. Both 

 in the higher and the lower ranks, there are many 

 excellent officers, distinguished for their skill in navi- 

 gation and naval tactics The army, exclusive of 

 the national militia of 25,500 men, which, by royal 

 summons, could be at any time increased to 80 

 100,000 men, amounted, with the troops in the 

 colonies, to 43,000 men, in sixty-eight battalions of 

 infantry, without the depots, one regiment and 

 eleven battalions for the East and West Indies, four 

 regiments of Swiss, ten garrison companies, a regi- 

 ment of Nassau light infantry, fourteen battalions of 

 artillery, and a corps of light artillery, a battalion of 

 pontoniers, miners, and sappers, the corps of engi- 

 neers, three regiments of carabineers, two regiments 

 of light dragoons, three regiments of hussars, a regi- 

 ment of carabineer militia, and the marechaussee. 

 On the army list, the duke of Wellington, who bears, 

 in the Netherlands, the title of prince of Waterloo, 

 stood as field-marshal, the crown-prince as general of 

 the cavalry, prince Frederic as master-general of the 

 ordnance and chief of the artillery, Christian, land- 

 grave of Hesse-Darmstadt, as general of infantry, 

 twenty-eight lieutenant-generals, fifty-four major- 

 generals, and twenty-one aids of the king, and the 

 two princes. The kingdom was divided into six 

 general commands. The military contingent of the 

 southern provinces was sixty-seven men to forty 

 furnished by the northern ; and the relative number 

 of their forces in the army was in the proportion of 

 327 to 200. The number of superior officers from 

 the Belgic provinces was much less than that from 

 the Dutch. The officers and soldiers are well paid. 

 In no country is there proportionately so large a 

 number of fortified places, single fortifications, and 

 extended lines of defence. Respecting the repairing 

 and maintaining of them, a convention was con- 

 cluded in October, 1815, between Britain and the 

 Dutch government. Britain appropriated for the 

 purpose her share of the French contingent. By 

 the terms of this convention, in the Ardennes, and in 

 Luxemburg, Arlon, Rochefort, and Dinant, were to 

 be placed in a proper state of defence ; Namur and 

 Charleroi, changed into fortresses of the first rank, 

 were intended, with Philippeville and Marienburg, 

 to defend the Metise and Sambre ; and Beaumont, 

 Chimay, Mons, Ath, Doornick, Cortryk, Menin, 

 Ypres, Fumes, and Ostend, were to complete this 

 line of defence. Between 1815 and the end of 1825, 

 these works cost 96,000,000 francs, 60,000.000 francs 

 of which were from the French contingent, and 

 2,000,000 sterling from Great Britain. One hun- 

 dred millions were still wanted to complete them. 

 For these works, 2000 cannons and 6000 artillerists 

 were necessary. 



The foreign possessions of the Netherlands were as 

 follows : (how they have been apportioned between 

 Belgium and Holland, we have not ascertained.) 

 1. in Asia, the island of Java (partly under the direct 

 government of native princes, tributary to the Nether- 



lands); the Molucca islands, standing under the gene- 

 ral government at Batavia, and divided into the three 

 governments of Amboyna, Banda, and Ternate; Ma- 

 cassar, on Celebes, Palembang, on Sumatra. New fac- 

 tories have been established at Borneo, on account of 

 the gold mines. The colonies in Asia amount to 85,500 

 square miles, with 6,561,700 inhabitants, among 

 whom are 52,700 whites, and 8800 slaves. 2. In 

 Africa, 100 square miles, with 15,000 inhabitants, 

 among whom are 14.700 slaves: in thirteen for- 

 tresses and commercial settlements on the coast of 

 Guinea, among which are St George del Mina and 

 Nassau. 3. In America, 10,200 square miles, 90,000 

 inhabitants, among whom are 5800 whites, and 

 77,200 slaves, the colony of Surinam (q. v.), and 

 the West India islands of Curasao, St Eustatia, and 

 St Martin. All the colonies together form 958,000 

 square miles, with 6,666,700 inhabitants. 



By the Grondwetof Aug. 24, 1815, the kingdom was 

 declared a limited constitutional monarchy, the crown 

 hereditary in the house of Orange-Nassau. The king 

 could wear no foreign crown. He enjoyed an annual 

 income of 2,400,000 Dutch guilders from the state 

 treasury. His residences were at the Hague and at 

 Brussels. The crown-prince bore the title of prince 

 of Orange, and after the completion of his eighteenth 

 year, enjoyed an annual income of 100,000 guilders, 

 which was doubled after his marriage. The king 

 became of age on the completion of his eighteenth 

 year. With respect to the guardianship of a king 

 under age, if no regulation had been made on the 

 subject by his predecessor, and with respect to the 

 regency, arrangements were made by the states- 

 general ; and, till they did so, the council of state 

 exercised the supreme power. The states-general 

 consisted of two chambers. The members of the first, 

 who were appointed for life by the king, and required 

 to be at least forty years old, could not exceed more 

 than sixty, nor less than forty. The second chamber 

 consisted of 110 members, chosen by the provincial 

 estates, which were composed of the three estates ot 

 the nobility, citizens, and landed interest. The period 

 of office of one third expired every year, but they could 

 be immediately re-elected. For eligibility, besides 

 an age of at least thirty years, it was requisite that the 

 person to be chosen should be settled in the province 

 which appointed him, and be related to no member 

 of the assembly nearer than in the third degree. 

 The ministers of state had a seat in both chambers 

 either as ministers (in which case, they had only a 

 right to advise), or as members. The king sent his 

 propositions to the second chamber, which transmitted 

 these for ratification to the first. The states-general 

 had the right of making proposals to the king, in 

 which case the opening of the motion belonged to the 

 second chamber. If a proposed law was rejected, the 

 plan of it was never published, but withdrawn. The 

 king exercised all acts of sovereignty, after the mat- 

 ters had been submitted to the deliberation of the 

 council of state, which consisted of at most twenty- 

 four ordinary members, who, as far as practicable, 

 were taken from all the provinces. With respect 

 to the members extraordinary, every thing was left at 

 the option of the king. The king decided, and an- 

 nounced his decision to the minister of state. He 

 appointed and dismissed the members of the state 

 council and the ministers. To him exclusively be- 

 longed the management of the colonies and foreign 

 possessions. He declared war, concluded peace, 

 ratified treaties ; but, without the consent of the 

 states-general, he could not, in time of peace, dis- 

 pose of or change any integral parts of the king- 

 dom and colonies, The king appointed and recalled 

 ambassadors and consuls, commanded the fleet and 

 army, appointed and removed officers ; but whatever 



