Dissertation_A Bick_May 25 - DataSpace at Princeton University

for generating a budget for the relief expedition. 24 By this time majorities within the States
General and the States of Holland approved granting a subsidy, but Amsterdam continued to
stall, first insisting on assurances that the money would only be used to relieve Brazil, and then,
when these assurances were provided, asking for more time to consider the question. 25 The
subsidy had also become inter-twined with the ongoing debate over whether, and on what terms,
to renew both the WIC and the VOC charters, with several provinces arguing that the money to
fund relief for Brazil should be paid by the VOC in return for renewing its charter. 26 In the States
General planning went ahead without Amsterdam's formal consent and Specx, together with
Alewyn van Halewyn, a director from the chamber of the Maas, was responsible for producing
“an estimate and calculation of the cost of the foresaid assistance [to Brazil].” 27
As we saw in Chapter Four, earlier in 1645 Specx had been offered the honor of serving
as President of the High Council in Recife, the company’s most prestigious administrative
position in the Western Hemisphere. When he declined, Specx had proposed instead that he draft
“a review of the company's conquests” to assist the company in organizing its finances and in
planning. 28 Evidently the company accepted this offer, for amongst his private papers in The
Hague can be found a lengthy analysis, composed at precisely this time, of the income and
24 NA 1.05.01.01, inv.nr. 2*, entry for December 2, 1645. The Haags Besogne was a series of consultative meeting
held annually at The Hague to resolve issues with a direct bearing on the state, including public financing, military
commissions, and military planning. The term itself is borrowed from the VOC, which held consultations with the
States General each spring to review the correspondence recently arrived from Asia. Since WIC fleets were not
subject to the same seasonal pattern, the company's contacts in The Hague tended to be more ad hoc, but the severity
of the problems at the end of 1645 meant that meetings were held daily from the beginning of December until just
before Christmas. See Den Heijer, De Geoctrooieerde Compagnie, 129.
25 Staten van Holland en Westvriesland, Gedrukt Resoluties, entries for October 13, November 29, December 2,
December 5, December 6, 1645
26 NA 1.01.03, inv.nr. 4845, entry for December 1, 1645; Staten van Holland en Westvriesland, Gedrukt Resoluties,
entries for November 29 and November 30, 1645.
27 NA 1.05.01.01 inv 2*, entries for December 2, December 4, December 5, December 6, and December 7, 1645.
“[…] een overslach ende calculatie te maeken vant gene de voors. versorginge sal comen te monteren.” Their report
called for 36 companies, or 5,400 men in total—significantly more than the 20 ships carrying 2,000 soldiers that
ultimately set sail during the cold spring of 1646. See Boxer, The Dutch in Brazil, 1624-1654, 177.
28 NA 1.01.07 inv.nr. 12564.17, extracts dated April 26 and May 2, 1645.
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