ing the mutiny ftill increase, Captain Fiott faw there was no other remedy than for him to risk every thing; and with that spirit and refolution worthy the high charge entrusted to his care, he went forward himself among all the mutineers with a brace of piftols in his hands, and brought the culprit aft, who had fo daringly attempted the life of his chief officer, and, with the affiftance of his officers, put him inftantly in irons; during which the villain drew another knife that he had concealed, and made a fecond attempt to ftab the chief mate, and nearly accomplished his bloody fcheme on the boatswain, who was helping to fecure him. A letter was after this prefented to Captain Fiott, figned with above fixty names, couched in the moft abufive language, infifting on the difcharge of the man in irons; and threatening the captain, if he did not inftantly comply with their request, that they would release him by force. Captain Fiott and his officers were unanimous in their opinion not to release him; the mutiny ftill increased, and for three days and nights before the lofs they were under the neceffity conftantly to remain armed upon deck; and even then, in order to keep the mutineers from coming aft, two of the quarter deck guns were obliged to be loaded with grape fhot, and pointed forwards. Fortunately for the captain, all his officers, and fome few others to whom he had entrusted fire arms, flood by him with a fpirit which merits every encomium, and from their perfeverance and unanimity only was his life, with many of their own, preferved. Since the lofs, it has been difcovered it was the intention of the mutineers to have murdered the captain, and have thrown him, with about eight-andtwenty more, overboard, that they might make themfelves mafters of the fhip, and rob her of the fpecie the had on board; which attempt was to have been made the night after, had the not been loft in the morning! Thus ended the fate of one of the fineft fhips that was ever built for the company's fervice; and a lofs to the public of near 150,000l. occafioned by the want of fubordination and difcipline, fo very necessary in fhips of that magnitude and confequence. Letter from the Duke of Brunswick, delivered to the four Commiffaries of the Town of Amfterdam, who were fent to his Highness to agree on the Satisfaction to be given 10 the Princefs of Orange. HE fatisfaction which his Pruffian majefty demands as his right, as you must underftand, gentlemen, is entirely conformable to the articles announced in the last memorial of M. de Thulemeyer. "All the other members, ftates of the province, are ready to give this fatisfaction, and are in expectation of your concurrence. The moment that you have confented, by your deputies to the ftates, I fhall confider my commiffion as terminated, and the king's troops will immediately quit the neighbourhood of your town, and the adjacent places. You know too well, gentlemen, the fentiments of her royal. highnefs the princefs of Orange, to doubt that he would rather pafs over many things, than expose * See the State Papers for this year. your your town to troublesome inconveniences. CHARLES, reigning duke of Brunswick Lunenburgh." Leumuyden, Sept. 27, 1787. After the Return of the four Commiffaries, the Town Council fent two Magiftrates to the Hague, to offer to give her Royal Highness a particular Satisfaction, fuch as the four Commiffaries had propofed in a Plan to the Duke of Bruniwick; but it appears by the following Note, fent to the Town Council, that the Duke only granted an Armiftice of twentyfour Hours. "I regard the truce as expired this evening between feven and eight o'clock, the time when meffieurs the deputies will be returned to Amfterdam. I am firmly refolved to proceed in the execution of my orders, unless I receive a letter from her royal highnefs the princefs of Orange, by which the denotes, that the defires no farther fatisfaction, and intercedes to recal the troops. CHARLES, reigning duke of Sept. 30, 1787. 2. Two battalions with chaffeurs fhall be posted at Overtoom. 3. In order to avoid giving occafion for any difturbances, none of the king's troops fhall enter the city without the previous concurrence of the magiftrate. 4. The burgomasters and city council fhall take the most effectual meafures for fecuring the fluices at the Haerlem and Muyden gates. 5. Legal information hall be given daily to his ferene highness of the progrefs made in carrying into execution the refolutions of the states, to which the town of Amfterdam has already acceded. 6. Monf. de Haaren, the Pruffian commiffary, fhall be informed of every thing relative to the difarming, in order to report an exact account of it. Done at Overtoom, the 10th of October, 1787. (Signed) DEDEL, B. CHARLES, W. F. Duke of Brunswick. Letter from ber Royal Highness the HE moment your highness TH enters the province of Holland at the head of the body of troops the king my brother has entrusted to you, permit me to recommend again to you the interefts of that nation which is fo dear to me, and to whofe profperity I fhall always glory in contributing as much as in my power. I could not foresee that fo fimple an intention as that of my going to the Hague would have had ተ fuch fuch ferious effects, and fo entirely oppofite to the falutary views which determined me to undertake that journey. I expected great obftacles before I fucceeded in my endeavours to reftore peace and tranquillity; but the only difficulty for which I was unprepared, because it was the leaft probable, was unfortunately that which deprived me of every means of attaining my end, by topping my journey by violent means. But if the unheard-of proceeding used towards me in Holland, a proceeding, the impreffion of which has only been modified by my inward knowledge of not having merited it if this proceeding, I fay, has been difapproved by all the courts, and every man of honour and good breeding, what must be thought of thofe who compofe the prefent plurality of the ftates of Holland, to fee them mifconftrue and facrifice the interefts of their country to little perfonal views, and oblige the king to take a fatif faction they have obftinately refused to his friendly exhortations. The king, by declaring he confidered the offence as against himfelf, penetrated my heart with gratitude; but after the manner they dared to answer him, and the in juftice which this pretended majority did not ceafe committing, that declaration would have raised my greatest fears for that country, which for twenty years I have confidered as my own, and whofe interefts are infeparable from thofe of my houfe, if I had not been made eafy by the declaration of the states general, that of the principal members of the affembly of the ftates of Holland, and of the greatest part of the nation, as well as by the mag. nanimous fentiments which characterize his majesty. The king could not give a ftronger proof of those fentiments than by charging your highness with the execution of his orders; and the fentiments, Sir, you have defired to fhew towards me, and which your highness has manifefted in your declaration to the ftates of Holland, do not permit me to doubt of the wifdom and equity of your intentions; but your highness muft pardon me if I dare to implore your clemency towards that part of the inhabitants who are blinded and led aftray by paffion, and to affure. you I fhall confider your behaviour towards them, and the protection you fhew to the wife part of the nation, as fo many favours done to myself. In the mean time I do folemnly declare here, that, perfectly agreeable to the moderate principle fhewn by the prince in his laft declaration, I will never profit from any circumstances whatever to procure my family a greater authority than the conflitution and true liberty of the provinces grant it; and that for myfelf I fhall always be ready to employ my good" offices for the welfare of this country, and thofe of my houfe, without fear of trouble or difputes. I have no ambition for any influence, and I will only accept that which I owe to the confidence and friendfhip I have merited. It is with thefe fentiments, and the warmest gratitude, I fhall all my life remain, with the higheft confideration, Sir, your ferene highness's most devoted fervant and coufin, "WILHELMINA.” From your town to troublesome inconveniences. CHARLES, reigning duke of Brunswick Lunenburgh." Leumuyden, Sept. 27, 1787. After the Return of the four Commiffaries, the Town Council fent two Magiftrates to the Hague, to offer to give her Royal Highness a particular Satisfaction, fuch as the four Commiffaries had propofed in a Plan to the Duke of Bruniwick; but it appears by the following Note, fent to the Town Council, that the Duke only granted an Armiftice of twentyfour Hours. "I regard the truce as expired this evening between feven and eight o'clock, the time when mef. fieurs the deputies will be returned to Amfterdam. I am firmly refolved to proceed in the execution of my orders, unless I receive a letter from her royal highness the princefs of Orange, by which the denotes, that the defires no farther fatisfaction, and intercedes to recal the troops. CHARLES, reigning duke of Sept. 30, 1787. 2. Two battalions with chaffeurs fhall be posted at Overtoom. 3. In order to avoid giving occafion for any difturbances, none of the king's troops fhall enter the city without the previous concurrence of the magiftrate. 4. The burgomasters and city council fhall take the most effectual meafures for fecuring the fluices at the Haerlem and Muyden gates. 5. Legal information fhall be given daily to his ferene highness of the progrefs made in carrying into execution the refolutions of the states, to which the town of Amfterdam has already acceded. 6. Monf. de Haaren, the Pruffian commiffary, fhall be informed of every thing relative to the difarming, in order to report an exact account of it. Done at Overtoom, the 10th of October, 1787. (Signed) DEDEL, B. CHARLES, W. F. Duke of Brunswick. Letter from her Royal Highness the HE moment your highness TH enters the province of Holland at the head of the body of troops the king my brother has entrusted to you, permit me to recommend again to you the interefts of that nation which is fo dear to me, and to whose profperity I fhall always glory in contributing as much as in my power. I could not foresee that fo fimple an intention as that of my going to the Hague would have had ተ fuch 1 fuch ferious effects, and fo entirely oppofite to the falutary views which determined me to undertake that journey. I expected great obftacles before I fucceeded in my endeavours to reftore peace and tranquillity; but the only difficulty for which I was unprepared, because it was the leaft probable, was unfortunately that which deprived me of every means of attaining my end, by ftopping my journey by violent means. But if the unheard-of proceeding used towards me in Holland, a proceeding, the impreffion of which has only been modified by my inward knowledge of not having merited it if this proceeding, I fay, has been difapproved by all the courts, and every man of honour and good breeding, what must be thought of those who compofe the prefent plurality of the states of Holland, to fee them mifconftrue and facrifice the interefts of their country to little perfonal views, and oblige the king to take a fatiffaction they have obftinately refufed to his friendly exhortations. The king, by declaring he confidered the offence as against himfelf, penetrated my heart with gratitude; but after the manner they dared to answer him, and the in juftice which this pretended majority did not ceafe committing, that declaration would have raifed my greatest fears for that country, which for twenty years I have confidered as my own, and whofe interèfts are infeparable from thofe of my house, if I had not been made eafy by the declaration of the ftates general, that of the principal members of the affembly of the ftates of Holland, and of the greatest part of the nation, as well as by the mag. nanimous fentiments which characterize his majefty. The king could not give a ftronger proof of thofe fentiments than by charging your highness with the execution of his orders; and the fentiments, Sir, you have defired to fhew towards me, and which your highness has manifefted in your declaration to the ftates of Holland, do not permit me to doubt of the wifdom and equity of your intentions; but your highness must pardon me if I dare to implore your clemency towards that part of the inhabitants who are blinded and led aftray by paffion, and to affure you I fhall confider your behaviour towards them, and the protection you fhew to the wife part of the nation, as fo many favours done to myself. In the mean time I do folemnly declare here, that, perfectly agreeable to the moderate principle fhewn by the prince in his laft declaration, I will never profit from any circumftances whatever to procure my family a greater authority than the conflitution and true liberty of the provinces grant it; and that for myfelf I fhall always be ready to employ my good offices for the welfare of this country, and thofe of my houfe, without fear of trouble or difputes. I have no ambition for any influence, and I will only accept that which I owe to the confidence and friendfhip I have merited. It is with thefe fentiments, and the warmest gratitude, I fhall all my life remain, with the highest confideration, Sir, your ferene highness's most devoted fervant and coufin, "WILHELMINA." From |