"The growing naval power of Holland excited the apprehensions of England, and war was the consequence, in which the Dutch Admirals Van Tromp De Ruiter, and De Witt, as well as Admiral Blake of the British navy, won imperishable renown.
"Prince Maurice was succeeded at his death by his brother Henry; but, in 1650, the office of Stadtholder was abolished, and that of Grand Pensionary substituted. John De Witt held the position.
"In 1668, France having seized upon the Spanish Netherlands, Holland united with England and Sweden to check the power of the French monarch; but Charles II., subsidized by Louis XIV. of France, deserted his ally. England and France united, won Sweden over, and formed a league against Holland. Louis invaded Holland with an army six times as large as the Dutch could bring into the field, and conquered three provinces. The quarrel between the house of Orange and the party headed by the Grand Pensionary still continued to rage. The supreme power was in the hands of the States General. De Witt proposed to establish the government of Holland in the East India possessions, as Portugal did in Brazil, rather than submit. The representative of the house of Orange encouraged the people to resist at home, and declared that he would 'die in the last ditch.' As the formation of the country rendered it exceedingly probable that the 'last ditch' was to be found somewhere in Holland, the advice of this Prince of Orange was adopted. The popular current turned in his favor, and against the Grand Pensionary, who was murdered by a mob at The Hague.
"The Prince of Orange was elected Stadtholder, and is known as William III. Instead of seeking the 'last ditch' himself, he opened it for the benefit of the invaders. The dikes were cut, and the country was so thoroughly inundated that the French army was forced to retire, after sustaining very heavy losses. Peace was made with England in 1674, and three years later, the Stadtholder married Mary, daughter of James, Duke of York, who became king of England at the death of his brother Charles II. By the revolution of 1688, William and Mary were declared joint sovereigns of England.
"When William III. died, his cousin and next heir was not recognized as Stadtholder of Holland, the anti-Orange party being in the ascendant. A republic was again organized under Heinsius; but, in 1747, the prince again prevailed, and the line of the Stadtholders was resumed under William IV., who was succeeded by William V. In 1795 the Batavian Republic was established, under the influence of the French Revolution, France having conquered the country.
"In 1806, Napoleon remodelled the government, and placed his brother Louis, the father of the present French emperor, upon the throne. Louis, who was a very moderate and sensible man, offended his brother by ruling his kingdom in the interest of Holland rather than France, and, after a brief reign of four years, was compelled to abdicate. Napoleon then annexed Holland to France.
"At the downfall of Napoleon the Netherlands were erected into a kingdom, which included Belgium, as I have before stated, and the Prince of Orange was made king, under the title of William I. The present sovereign is his grandson. The Belgian Revolution of 1830 deprived Holland of one half of its territory, and more than half of its people; but these events I mentioned in my lecture at Antwerp."
Mr. Mapps retired, and Mr. Lowington took his place.
"Young gentlemen," said the principal, "this afternoon we shall make a steamboat excursion to Dort, and through some of the arms of the sea, to enable you to see Dutch life from the water. On Monday we shall start on a grand excursion through Holland, visiting the following places in the order in which they are mentioned: Delft, The Hague, Leyden, Harlem, Amsterdam, Sardam, Broek, Alkmaar, The Helder, and Utrecht. The programme will enable you to see all the interesting points of Holland, including the capital, the drained lake of Harlem, and the great dike of the Helder.
"The water of Holland is very bad, and drank in any considerable quantities would probably make you sick. Spring water, brought from Utrecht in stone jars, may be obtained in the large towns. Whenever it is practicable, I shall see that you are supplied with it; but avoid the common water. You will now resume your studies."