424 TRAVELS IN 
their sovereign ; and that they used to see a flag witli three 
broad horizontal stripes, red, white, and blue, flying upon the 
caslle, instead of the Sphmekop, or spider legs, as they called 
the British ensign. A few years more would therefore, in all 
probability, have rendered them, or the greater part of them, 
very indifferent as to the government under which they were 
to remain. 
Some little rejoicing might, however, naturally be supposed 
to take place on seeing once again the same flag hoisted on 
the castle walls, which they had always been accustomed to 
look at ; and they would have shewn themselves a very 
worthless and despicable people not to have testified their 
feelings of joy on such an occasion. These rejoicings, how- 
ever, were neither general nor tumultuous, nor of long dura- 
tion ; they were chiefly confined within the castle walls. 
The recollection of the miserable condition of the colony at 
the capture, and the general prosperity that had rapidly suc- 
ceeded it, seemed forcibly to have operated at this moment. 
From a state of poverty, and almost general bankruptcy, 
they were now grown individually rich. Instead of near half 
a mdlion sterling, that for the last seven years had annually 
been expended in the colony by the army, the navy, and 
English settlers, they now began to consider that half of this 
sum might annually be taken out of their pockets for the 
maintenance of their future garrison. Little care, indeed, 
was taken to conceal that such would probably be the event, 
under the present exhausted state of the finances of the 
Batavian government. 
