POLITICAL  EVENTS IN  EUROPE.
 

CHAPTER    IX.
 

POLITICAL EVENTS IN EUROPE.

Political Events in Europe.—Holland and the Hollanders.—The Sabbath in
New York. —The First Surveyors. —Kutter and Melyn, and their Trial for
Rebellion. — The Wreck of the Princess. — Kip. — Govert Loockermans. — First
Fire-Wardens. — Schools and Education.—Rensselaerswick a Power.—The
Governor's Failure,—Civil War in England.—Van Cortlandt.—Van der
Donck.—Melyn. — The Quarrel. — Van der Donck in Holland. — Isaac
Allerton.
 

FEEDEEICK HENEY, Prince of Orange, died on the :           ^  ..

March 14, 1647. He had been stadtholder of the provinces for
twenty-two years, and had reached his sixty-third birthday. His death
tended directly towards drawing to a close the eighty years' war,
which had cost Spain over fifteen hundred millions of ducats.
His office descended to his son, WiUiam IL, by an act of reversion
which the States passed in 1631. The young prince was the husband
of Mary, daughter of Charles I. of England. He was full of military
ambition and ready to buckle on his armor, but the nation distrusted
his inexperience and entered immediately into negotiations for peace.
France was a snag in the way, for a time, through a variety of conflicting
interests. The French ministers were bent on preventing the consum¬
mation of the treaty, even resorting to countless intrigues when other
means failed. It was finaUy signed by the representatives of the two
nations, in January, 1648, at Munster. It was at once ratified by Philip
IV. and hy the several States of the Netherlands. The recognition of
the sovereignty of the Dutch Eepublic was so absolute that an ambassa¬
dor was actuaUy sent to "the Hague from Spain, before PhiUp himself
received one from the Dutch.^

Of the seven Dutch States, HoUand was the most important, by reason
of its dense population and great wealth; hence its  name was often

1 Corps Dip., VI.  429, 450.    Bamage Annales des Prov., Un. I.  102.    Qrattam, 262.