Si BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



in the height of its military power, there came a time when 

 the most important town which they had not captured was 

 the old cit}^ of Ley den. This the army completely sur- 

 rounded, and after planting their guns upon many forts, 

 they waited to starve the people within Leyden's walls, for 

 they well knew that they could not conquer them in an open 

 fight. It was then that the people contributed their most 

 dearly bought treasures, the women their heirlooms and the 

 articles to which they were most deeply attached, for capital 

 with which to open the dykes on the shores of the North 

 Sea, and to equip a small fleet of boats to bring them food 

 by sailing on the invading flood which they hoped might 

 drown their enemies. When the people within the city had 

 reached starvation point, the wind most unfortunately shifted 

 and so drove the waters back to the sea that their friends 

 who had started to sail on them over the land were left 

 stranded in the mud. It was then that the people watched 

 and prayed for what they had always before dreaded, — an 

 equinoctial gale. It was this time a blessing to them, 

 when it came with such great force as to set the fleet in 

 motion toward the beleaguered city. Finally they were 

 before the last great fortress, a citadel of strength regarded 

 as impregnable. A dark and stormy night came on, during 

 which there were many strange sounds. When the morning 

 came, it was found that their enemy had departed during the 

 night, in consequence of the invading sea. Thus Leyden 

 stood and Holland was saved because those people which 

 had reclaimed the land and cultivated the soil knew how to 

 turn a raging sea into the line of warfare to fight a desperate 

 battle for them. Such, my good hearers, are some of the 

 characteristics of Holland and her people. 



