Chap. II. Efiablifomeni of the Dutch Eaff-India Company. pi d 
three Millions of Ducats, which fmall Fleet arrived in the 
Month of September , 1616, and foon after the Company 
received the agreeable News that the King of Ternate, 
and the Englifh fettled in his Country, had joined the 
Dutch , and had obliged the Spaniards to abandon all the 
Places of which they were Mailers in the Moluccas , by 
which that Nation was entirely driven out of the Spice 
Trade, for which they had formerly flruggled fo Warmly 
with the Portuguese. 
9. The Year before this, fome Merchants, among 
’whom were Ifaac le Maire,, made the greateft Figure, en- 
deavoured to fupplant the Company, and draw fome Part 
of their Commerce into their own Hands, with this View ; 
they refolved to fearch for another Paffage to the South - 
Sea, than that of the Magellan Streights, and for that 
End, fittted out two Ships in June 1615, under the Com- 
mand of Cornelius William Sc bout en, and James le Maire. 
In Effect, thofe Commanders found out a Paffage to the 
Southward of the Streight of Magellan , which they call- 
ed le Maire Streight. By that Paffage they entered the 
South-Sea , and failed as far as the Moluccas but when 
they came to Batavia , their Ships were flopp’d and fe- 
quellrated, upon the Pretence their going upon an Expe- 
dition contrary to the Patent given to the Company by 
the States. At that Time the Company fuftained great 
Loffes, and their Trade was much impaired by the Means 
of fome Powders that were imported, and mixed with 
the Spices by the retale Merchants : This the Company 
reprefented to the States, and thereupon a Placard was if- 
fued, for preventing the like Abnfes for the future. 
In Jane 1617, George Van Spilbergen returned to Hol- 
land, after two Years Abfence, in which he failed round 
the World. Cornelius William Schouten , and James le 
Maire , who had fet out for Holland the fame Year with 
himfelf, returned on Board of him, but James le Maire 
died by the Way, on the 2 2d of the preceding December . 
The States perceived, that fome Potentates were alarmed 
with the Company’s Profperity, and did their utmofl to 
oppofe it, particularly by inveigling their befl and ablefl 
Seamen, and drawing them off from their Service. Up- 
on this Apprehenfion, the States publifhed an Edidl, by 
which the Defertion of Seamen was exprefsly prohibited. 
In the Year 1618, and 1619, the Company had very 
good Fortune, for they received from the Indies , at feve- 
rai Times, ten Ships with rich Cargoes, valued at fix or 
feven Millions. This new Progrefs infpired them with 
frefn Courage, not only in refilling the Spaniards , but in 
concerting their Ruin by Way of Reprizal. This Work 
was carried a great Way by the Diligence and Affedtion 
of Laurence Real , a very knowing and prudent Man. 
Tnis Gentleman ferved nine Years in the Indies , where the 
Company honoured him with the moft confiderable Poll, 
and then he returned to Holland , A. D. 1620. 
The Reader muff obferve, that all theft Fads are ta- 
ken from the Dutch Hiflorians, and placed in that Light 
in which they reprefent them, becaufe it would take up a 
great deal of Room, and oblige us to repeat many Things 
that have been faid before, if we fhould labour to correct 
inch Deviations from Truth, as from a Propensity towards 
magnifying the Power of the Eajl-India Company, thefe 
Writers have now and then thought fit to make. 
But with regard to Ifaac le Maire , it may not be amifs 
for us to note, that we do not at all depart from the 
Judgment already given, concerning this Expedition, in 
the Hiflory of the Circumnavigators, but merely infert 
this, to fhew in what Light the Dutch Authors would 
have us confider this Point, out of regard to their Eajl- 
India Company. One Obfervation we ihall take Leave 
to make by the Way, which is this, that the Treatment 
given to thefe Adventurers, has, in all Probability, been 
fufficiently punifhed by its Confequences •, all that rich 
I rade that might have been derived from the Difcoveries, 
and the Purfuic of the Difcoveries of Le Maire , has been 
totally loft by Negled, which perhaps has done as much 
Damage to the Dutch , as their Eajl- India Company has 
done tnem Good. Of this, John de Wit was aware, and 
has very wifely remarked, that tho’ the Purfuit of fuch a 
Commerce might have been beyond the Strength and 
Power of the Eajl-India Company at that Time, yet 
NtJM'iB. 63. 
there was no good Heaton why die States fhould have 
abandoned it, or fhould not have encouraged the letting 
up a new Company, in order to have made a Trial of what 
this new Trade would have produced ; for if new Trades 
do not profper, they occafion only a temporary Lofs to pri- 
vate Perfons,' and none at all to the States ; whereas, if they 
thrive and turn to good Account, they not only produce 
immenfe Riches to fuch as are concerned in them, but prove 
alfo a mighty Advantage to the Publick. For new Trades, 
efpecially under fuch a Government as that of Holland , 
bring new People,' and increafe the Subjedls of the State 
that encourages them, for Wealth is' a powerful Attrac- 
tive ; and where Men are fare to be rich and free, there 
will never be any Want of People. 
But the Dutch Eajl-India Company began now to feel 
their own Strength, and, like all other Companies, attended 
to nothing but the promoting their own Power, which 
induced them, about this Time, to engage in the War of 
Java , where they had not only the Natives of that Coun- 
try, but the Englifh alfo to deal with ; and by degrees, and 
their obftinately perfifting in their Defign, they overcame 
both, though not without great Difficulty and fome Lofs, 
which however was abundantly repaired by the Redac- 
tion of Jacatra , and the fettling their hew Colony at Ba- 
tavia, which was done in 1619, chiefly by the great Af- 
fiftance which the States-General afforded to their Eajl- 
India Company, while ours was flighted and neglected by 
the Government here, either from a Want of knowing 
the Importance of that Commerce, or from a Want of 
Power to afford the Affiftance neceffary in cafe they had a 
juft Apprehenfion of the Value of that Trade : But, how- 
ever it was, mod certainly the Eftablifhment of Batavia 
proved the Bafis of fuch a Power in the Eaft-Indies, and 
gave the Company fuch an Opportunity of difpofmg ail 
her Fadlories and Settlements, in an Order fo agreeable to 
that Government which ffie eftablifhed in this new Capital, 
that we may from thence date her Acquifition of that Em- 
pire in the Indies , which not only renders her fuperior to 
all the trading Companies in the World, but in point of 
Power, Riches, and Dominion, very little, if at all, infe- 
rior to the Dutch Republick itfelf. 
They began likewife, about this Time, to extend their 
Alliances in that Part of the World, and to treat with the 
Indian Princes in every Refpedl as Sovereigns ; appoint- 
ing at the fame time Officers, who had not only the Titles of 
Generals, Commanders in Chief, Admirals, Governors, and 
Inch like, but had alfo the Power, and were effectually 
fuch as thefe Commiffions fpoke them to be and were, 
at the fame time allowed fuch Salaries, and inverted with 
fuch Authority as did not feem either very agreeable to 
their Dependency upon the Republick, or confident with 
the Modefty and Frugality of the Dutch Government at 
home. This, the States however were content to over- 
look, becaufe, that fuch as had the Dire&ion of the Com- 
pany’s Affairs, pretended that thefe Titles, Revenues, and 
Commands, were abfolutely requifite in the Eaftern Part 
of the World, to preferve the RefpeCl and Obedience of 
the Natives of thofe Countries, who were to be wrought 
upon only by the Splendor of Drefs, Equipage, and fuch 
like exterior Marks of Superiority. The Truth however 
feems to be, that the Common-Wealth Party in Holland , 
paying a very unwilling Obedience to their Stadtholders 
of the Houfe of Orange, were not a little pleafed to be- 
hold a kind of new Republick riling in the Indies, inde- 
pendent of thefe Princes, and where their Relations might 
be fent to acquire Fortunes, to learn Principles, and acr 
cuflom themfelves to the Difcharge of publick Offices, 
without being immediately under the DireClion of thefe 
Stadtholders who, by the Neceffities of State, were placed 
at the Head of the Government at home. 
Yet the Governor, General, and other principal Officers, 
always a£led under the Prince of Orange' s Comrpifiion as 
Stadt-Holder, and in moft Part of the Indies magnified 
his Power, making the Indian Monarchs believe that he 
was a King, nay, and one of the greateft Kings in Europe. 
But this was only to ftrve their own Purports, and to extend 
their Power the better 1 for the Directors of the Company 
continued to adminifler its Affairs in a manner independent 
of the Government of Hollands and only made ufe of 
1 1 D thefe 
