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was flirting with complete collapse. This dim view, incidentally, was not the result of a long- standing prejudice against the WIC or its directors: as late as December 1644 Alexander asked his brother to buy an additional 6,000 guilders worth of stock on the open market for 55 guilders a share. 58 At that point—only six months before he penned the lines above—he either believed that this figure represented a bargain or he was committed to investing for reasons of pride and prestige. 59 In either case, he presumably believed that the company's fortunes stood a reasonable chance of improving. Now Alexander worried that the company would have trouble finding anyone fit to assume the office of President. The directors desired someone with a lower profile than Maurits, whom they could more easily control. But who would accept such a position? Alexander's comments concerning his own candidacy, which apparently came as a complete surprise, were unequivocal: I have always said, and had written to my brother, that I had no reason to go so far over the sea in the service of merchants, and that it would still not appeal to me if the contract, now grown to 1,800 guilders per month, was made still greater. 60                                                          uytdeilongen of renten te cesseren, ende alle het inkomen van de Compagnie geabsorbeert te worden in de swaere lasten van oorlogh, ende onderhoudinghe van Forten ende Comtooren. Daer quamen wel goede retouren van Brasil ende Nieuw Nederlandt, als oock van de kust van Africa; maer d'openstellinge van de handel in Brasil dede alle, ofte de beste retouren komen in handen van particuliere reeders, die by de Bewinthebberen wierden gefavoriseert. Alle die uyt Brasil wederomme t'huys quamen, waren verryckt.” 58 See Alexander van der Capellen's rekenboeck in the Gelders Archief, 0467, inv.nr. 134, fol. 49. 59 Evidence for the latter motivation might be read in his reference to "a capital of 100,000 guilders," the investment threshold required for a city to merit a director in the Amsterdam chamber. 60 Van der Capellen, Gedenkschriften van Jonkheer Alexander van der Capellen, Heere van Aartsbergen, Boedelhoff, en Mervelt, vol. 2, 111. “De titul ende macht van President, versien met goede instructie, wierde geordeelt de meeste ende aengenaemste diensten te kunnen doen, maer men wiste niet, waer men de persoon daertoe bequaemst soude kunnen vinden, tot dat by de vergaderinghe geresolveert wiert, daertoe vyf voorgestelde ende de Cameren aengenaeme persoonen te fondeeren, daeronder ick Alexander van der Capellen een was, ende gestelt wierde voor aen, hoewel butn myn kennisse, toedoen ofte versoeck. Als nu myn broeder my dese sake bekent gemaeckt hadde, ende ick die by my overleyt, hebbe ick altydt geseyt, ende myn Broeder geschreven gehadt, dat ick geen reden hadde, om soo wydt over See te gaen in dienst van coopluden, konde oock daertoe geen treck krygen, alwaer 't dat het tractement, nu begrootet op 1800. gulden ter maendt, noch grooter gemaeckt mochte worden.”   153
None of the remaining records indicate that such a sum was on offer, though given the company's desperation it is certainly not inconceivable. But Alexander went further still, offering a bit of advice from classical history on what he believed was needed to get the company back on its feet: In order to restore all the affairs of the company, for the good of the generality and the satisfaction of the participants, it would be necessary not only to know the various needs of the company in Brazil, but also to have the power and authority here in the general meetings of the XIX, and in the respective chambers of Holland, Zeeland, and Groningen. The Romans, finding themselves in such a position of weakness, where the well-being of the Republic was in jeopardy, sought remedy in the installment of a Dictator, and therein found relief. 61 Here Alexander was no longer talking about the company's military conquests abroad or its finances at home: the key trouble, in his view, was political. Competition and the endless bickering between chambers was undermining the company's effectiveness. No individual could be successful in Brazil without unified authority and support—least of all a political lightweight selected explicitly for his pliability in the hands of the company's directors. Such a post could hardly be appealing to a nobleman, especially with memories of Maurits' involuntary recall still fresh. 62 This same antipathy to the company's directors can be found in the diary of Willem Frederik (1613-1664), a nephew of Frederik Hendrik and the Stadholder of Friesland, where he maintained a separate court. In an entry from August 1643, Frederik noted that Maurits always had been mistreated by the company's directors, from whom he could expect nothing “but                                                          61 Ibid., 112-113. “Tot herstellinghe van alle dese saken in sulken staet, dat de gewenschte vruchten daer uyt mochten resulteeren, tot dienst van 't landt in 't gemeen ende genoegen van de participanten, was niet alleene wysheyt van nooden, om alles wel dirigeeren in Brasil, maer oock macht en autoriteyt, om goede voorslagen te doen hebben effect hier te lande onder de generale vergaderinghe van XIX, ende in de respective Cameren in Hollant, Zeelant ende Groningen. De Romeynen, komende te vervallen in groote swarigheyden, daer by de welstandt van haer Republique pericliteerde, sochten haer remedien in 't aenstellen van een Dictateur, ende hebben sich daer wel by bevonden.” 62 It may be worth noting that, even in the age of the joint-stock company, classical scholarship still provided important guidance for practical affairs.   154
Page 1 and 2:
GOVERNING THE FREE SEA: THE DUTCH W
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Abstract This dissertation takes a
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IV. “In the Service of Merchants
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for making the archive such an enjo
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Institute for International and Reg
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List of Tables 1. Delegates to the
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Illustration 1. Het West-Indische H
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eported to have said; any money sen
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nexus of commerce and power for whi
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Europe the Dutch Republic is emblem
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Although the VOC frequently used vi
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Van Dillen argued that over time th
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the Western Hemisphere.” 46 Far f
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anxieties it generated, and what pl
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capital from Zeeland in the south a
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number of document series within th
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character of Dutch political instit
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Illustration 2. Vergaderzaal van he
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ecords must be traced backwards—a
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of note.” 93 But it is clear that
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formative periods in the company’
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enhance the role of central authori
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trade in which the company had only
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5. A Note on Sources This dissertat
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1645. 110 The manuscript is found i
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period 1620-1636. 115 For the remai
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at São Salvador da Bahia de Todos
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the revolt pushed the colony’s fa
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Amsterdam newspapers did publish st
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year by the Hoge ende Secrete Raad
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the Portuguese, had crossed the Rio
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ead aloud, two resolutions were pas
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On Wednesday, the same day the ship
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with subtle differences of fact and
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The group consisted of Henderick Sc
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XIX. Each chamber selected delegate
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Inden naeme den heeren amen Saturn.
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Middelburg’s decidedly incestuous
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Illustration 6. Portrait of Johanne
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crucial role that he played in its
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When the meeting resumed on Monday
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and to steer the discussion towards
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were chosen from among the ranks of
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emphasized the considerable sums in
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4. Johannes de Laet as “Informati
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devote myself to my books.” 129 A
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interests were adequately represent
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De Laet's substantive work in the A
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that, even at the beginning, De Lae
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De Laet’s presence at the meeting
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confessions under interrogation and
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Brazil this meant the Heren XIX, wh
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Illustration 7. Portrait of Willem
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peaceful settlement along the fring
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By analyzing the successive changes
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convene in Amsterdam; the following
Page 113 and 114: This formulation, which must previo
Page 115 and 116: Amsterdam or Middelburg. 29 In this
Page 117 and 118: (1566-1626), later burgemeester of
Page 119 and 120: placed next to his description of t
Page 121 and 122: That these two provisions remained
Page 123 and 124: provinces. The creation of the WIC
Page 125 and 126: The result was that the delegates f
Page 127 and 128: to the original charter gave the ch
Page 129 and 130: thus shows the political—as oppos
Page 131 and 132: 1/10 of the equipagie and two direc
Page 133 and 134: taken place. Once the draft letter
Page 135 and 136: Table 5. Seating for the delegation
Page 137 and 138: phase of the company’s Groot Dess
Page 139 and 140: to be understood the sending over o
Page 141 and 142: But by far the most important trans
Page 143 and 144: Illustration 8. Map of Mauritstad a
Page 145 and 146: geographers whose works remain a tr
Page 147 and 148: important military, administrative,
Page 149 and 150: noblemen played in overseas adminis
Page 151 and 152: good order, police and justice, and
Page 153 and 154: the council's size and authority, d
Page 155 and 156: servants. These individuals may not
Page 157 and 158: At this point the election was comp
Page 159 and 160: (Receiver General) of the United Pr
Page 161 and 162: Why did these candidates all refuse
Page 163: Alexander's name was almost certain
Page 167 and 168: would be profitable and that their
Page 169 and 170: Haecxs thanked them for the honor t
Page 171 and 172: On June 22, 1645—just a week befo
Page 173 and 174: 5. Wolter Schonenborch and the Ritu
Page 175 and 176: with the WIC presumably did not go
Page 177 and 178: Haecx recorded in his diary that on
Page 179 and 180: wavered, for De Laet, who was many
Page 181 and 182: privately to Brazil, legally or ill
Page 183 and 184: 1. Introduction Chapter Five Free T
Page 185 and 186: left relatively open. 6 Where monop
Page 187 and 188: community saw greater profits in pr
Page 189 and 190: and close trade to private merchant
Page 191 and 192: trouble paying its bills, especiall
Page 193 and 194: means to capitalize the company wit
Page 195 and 196: director than his trade to Brazil,
Page 197 and 198: With the verhoging stalled, and ani
Page 199 and 200: e handled without gloves.” 55 In
Page 201 and 202: “walking the land half-naked” f
Page 203 and 204: While the resolution as a whole sho
Page 205 and 206: along with the two powerful Amsterd
Page 207 and 208: Cornelis Melijn, of a patroonschap
Page 209 and 210: this measure, he said, “no one in
Page 211 and 212: maintaining the company's solvency,
Page 213 and 214: colony, overestimated the number of
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And Maurits offered another argumen
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Stellingwerf, who sat in the States
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Provinces, plus smaller fees of 3%
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exclude private merchants from the
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clamoring for slaves. 136 The probl
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expedition's success, along with de
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trading locations on the Gold Coast
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directly from New Netherland, and s
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over trade was simply the projectio
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the area in which the company was b
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had not yet been renewed. 4 As the
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to the Dutch state, and that this d
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ookkeeping from late-fifteenth cent
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ambitions. 21 Although neither Spec
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expenses at each of the company's c
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included. 34 In Specx’s estimatio
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calculations yielded a profit of 41
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notes on these documents, suggest t
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It was, of course, a fiction. With
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to hang from the body [...] This sh
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van West-Indien (New World, or a De
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title page of the revised edition a
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It occurred to me that these miracu
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third in the Kort Verhael. This rep
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This extraordinary conclusion might
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enemy” and the positive effects o
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appeared in the late 1630s in the c
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versus settlement. He was also more
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An exceptionally cold winter delaye
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failure of Dutch imperialism from t
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that focuses on political and imper
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support to the WIC, but they also i
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Maurits predicted and which was not
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British Library Additional Manuscri
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Burke, Peter. A Social History of K
Page 285 and 286:
Goffman, Erving. Frame Analysis: An
Page 287 and 288:
Jonge, J. K. J. De Oorsprong van Ne
Page 289 and 290:
Noorlander, Danny L. “Serving God
Page 291 and 292:
Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Na
Page 293:
1624-1654, edited by Marianne L. Wi
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