Eft abli foment of the Dutch Eaft- India 
The Capital Stock of the 
Amfterdam ■ — 
Zealand * — 
Delft *— 
Rotterdam — — — 
Horn - — - — - 
Dutch Eaft- India Company 
Florins, 
^ 3*674,9 r 5 
D333> 882 
■ 470,000 
- 177,400 
— 266,868 
G 
Enchuyfen — - 53^775 
In all 6,459,840 
Thofe fix having advanced this Money, they fettled a 
Chamber in each of the Towns (that of Zealand being in 
Middleburg ) from whence they chufe the feventeen De- 
puties, who dired the Affairs of the Company. They 
meet four Times a Tear fucoeflively at Amfterdam, for the 
Affairs of the Company, and twice at Middleburg^ alter- 
nately *, but not at the other Towns. Thefe Deputies are 
the Sovereigns of this iliuftrious Company, yet under the 
Authority of the States-General. The feventeen Direc- 
tors are chofen in the following Manner ; eight by the 
Chamber of Amfterdam -, four by that of Zealand', Delft, 
Rotterdam , Horn and Enchuyfen, One each ; and the Maes , 
Middleburg , and Nortb-bolland, chufe one by Turns. 
Thefe feventeen Directors govern the Company, and repre- 
fent the Sovereignty of the whole Body by Plurality 
of Voices. They regulate all Affairs of Confequence, as 
the making of Counfellors, Captains, Lieutenants, and 
equipping of Ships, the Sale of the Goods, the Divi- 
fion of the Profits, and all the particular Chambers muff 
conform themfelves to their Orders. They like wife ap- 
point the Time for the Sale of the Goods, one half of 
which is fold in the Chamber of Amfterdam, a fourth in 
that of Middleburg , and a fixteenth in each of the other 
four Chambers, at the Time by them appointed, to the 
higheft Bidder. 
But befides thefe feventeen Directors, each of the Cham- 
bers have more belonging to the fame Body: Thus Amfter- 
dam has ten more, befides the eight fent to the fovereign 
Court ; and Haerlem, Leyden , Utrecht , Dort and flergoe, 
have each of them one there, as have the Provinces of 
Guelderland and Friezeland , and Zealand likewife, befides 
their four Directors, have eight or ten more from other 
Towns of the Province. All the Deputies are to give 
their Advice in their refpedive Chambers for the Good 
and Advantage of the Company •, and when any of the 
Deputies die, the Towns to which they belong, name 
three others in their Stead, out of which the Magiftrates 
chufe one. This Committee meets twice a Week, and 
change their Prefident each Month, fo that every one pre- 
fides in his Turn. There are two Advocates belonging 
to the Company, who make their Report of what is re- 
folved upon to the Indies ; upon which the Officers of 
the Company there form t^ieir Refolutions, and iffue 
their Orders. There are eight Deputies for the Affairs of 
the Marine, War, and Building of Ships, four to infped 
their Magazines, and the Goods that are fent to and come 
from the Indies , four which take Care of the Money 
which the Company pays and receives, and the reft take 
care of the Accounts, and other Affairs relating to Order 
and Juftice, which is done to the meaneft Mariner as well 
as to the greateft Officers. 
The whole, though it feems at firft fight in a manner 
independent of the State, is however kept in great Sub- 
ordination, by Means of the wife Regulations made in 
eftablifhing the Diredors, and the Care taken, that not 
any two of them fhall be related to each other, which pre- 
vents Combinations, and all thofe Practices by which pub- 
lick Eftabliftiments are converted into private Jobbs, and 
what ought to redound to the common Benefit of a Na- 
tion, conveyed into the Pockets of a few private Men. 
Once in three Years the States-General demand and re- 
ceive a ftrid Account of the Company’s whole Tranfac- 
tions, in order to be fatisfied, that they keep within the 
Bounds of their Charter, that they do Juftice to their 
Proprietors, and that they manage their Trade fo, as that 
it may not be prejudicial to the State, which Regulation 
may be juftly efteemed the principal Caufe, that hitherto 
Numb. 64. 
the Affairs of this Company have been fo perfectly well 
conduced. 
In order to this Examination;, or tontroul of the Com- 
pany’s Accounts, the ancient Practice was for the States- 
General to name a Committee of their Members to go to 
Amfterdam , and there examine the Books of the Eaft-In- 
dia Company upon the Spot, which took up a confidera- 
ble Time, and during that whole Space, this Committee 
from the States had their Charges defrayed at the Expence 
of the' Company. In the Year 1728, the Company 
thought fit to make a Reprefentation to the States- Gene ~ 
ralftt tting forth the Inconveniencies and unneceffary Charge 
this Method occafioned, and therefore praying, that their 
High Mightineffes would confent to its Alteration, and al- 
low the Company to fend a Deputation to the Hague^ 
in order to lay their Accounts before them, which, after 
mature Deliberation, was affented to. 
The Magazines of the Company are always kept in 
excellent Order. Such as are entrufted with the Care of 
them, give large Security, and are liable befides, to the 
fevereft Punifhments in cafe they are guilty of any Breach 
of Truft. The fame Degree of Stridnefs is (hewn to all 
Degrees of Perfons in their Service, nor are the Directors 
themfelves exempted, in whom the fmalkft Fraud would 
be punifhed with a fpeedy and exemplary Juftice. This 
keeps up that Spirit of Care and Diligence which is fo ab- 
folutely requifite to the right Management of Commerce, 
and all the Under-officers moved by the Example, as well as 
conftrained by the Infpedion of their Superiors, difcharge 
their Duty very exadiy ; fo that the Dock, or Yard, 
in which their Ships are built and repaired, is kept in as 
exad Order, as that of any private Man, tho’ there are 
feldom lefs than twelve hundred Perfons employed therein. 
They do not however exert the fame Authority ovef 
the Sailors and Under-fervants of the Company, that re- 
turn from the Indies, but on the contray, allow them 
all the Liberty they can defire, and fuffer them to live in 
what Manner, and at what Expence they pleafe, which is 
likewife done from a Principle of true Policy, fmce it af- 
fords them the Means of fpending, in a lhort Time, all 
that they have acquired in long Services fo that in the 
Space of five or fix Weeks, they are, generally fpeaking, 
reduced to their primitive State of Indigence, and confe- 
quently are obliged to enter again into the Company’s Ser- 
vice for a frefti Term. Thus the Liberty of the Subject 
is preferved intire, and the Company neverthelefs feldom 
wants a regular Supply of able and feafoned Seamen, 
which has very good Effects, becaufe Experience Ihews, 
that fuch as are ufed to thefe eaftern Climates, go many 
Voyages without Prejudice to their Health, whereas frefii 
and raw Seamen die in great Numbers, to the vaft Pre- 
judice of the State. The greateft Care is taken, that all 
employed in this Service, both at Home and Abroad, 
fhall be properly qualified for the Stations in which they 
ferve, and therefore it is a Rule, that none fhall be ad- 
mitted into any Office, before they have undergone a pro- 
per Examination; and though there may be fome In- 
ftances where Intereft or Favour may have procured Dif- 
penfations in this refped, yet thefe occur but feldom, and 
are not therefore of very great Confequence. 
In order to have a juft Idea of the Manner in which 
this great Mafs of Property is managed, it will be necef- 
fary to explain the Meaning of a Term frequently made 
ufe of here, and yet but indifferently underftood. The 
Term I mean is the Adlions of the Eaft- India Company. 
The general Signification of this Phrafe, both here and in 
France , is precifely the fame with what we call Stocks . 
When therefore it is faid, that Adions rife or fall, the 
Meaning is plain and obvious ; but then it is abfclutely ne- 
ceffary to know the Value of Actions, or rather the Value 
of the Adions in a particular Company, before we can 
form any juft Notions of them. The original Actions of 
this Eaft- India Company were fix’d at three thouland Flo- 
rins ; that is to fay, a Perfon poffeffed of fo much of the^ 
original Stock, was faid to hold one Action, he who had 
twice as much two, and fo on. This Phrafe is ftill kept 
up, though the Value is very much altered, fince a fingle 
Adion is now worth from twenty-five to twenty-fix thou- 
11 H land 
