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 Chap. II.l

QUARRELS WITH THE DUTCH.

261

have given the Dutch and English a complete su])remacy in the East, but pro- ad. 1623. vided equitabl}'- for their separate interests. The two-thirds of the finer spices allotted to the Dutch could scarcely be considered more than their exertions in ^'';"• rooting out the Spanish and Portuguese entitled them to expect; and the English, who saw themselves in danger of being excluded altogether, might have been satisfied when they were secured in a certain portion, which could not be diminished. The management, too, was fau'ly adjusted; and it is not easy to see how it was possible, under such a management, for one of the com- panies to oven-ule the other. Such, however, was the charge brought against their colleagues by the Enghsh, who complained that everything vague in the treaty was interpreted to their disadvantage, and that their funds were seized and appropriated to purposes in which they had no special interest. The truth seems to be, that though both companies professed to acquiesce in the treaty, neither of them was satisfied with it; and hence both, while eager to avail themselves of all the advantages which the treaty conferred, had no scruple in endeavouring to evade the obligations which it imposed. The Dutch, who believed that they could easily have driven their rivals out of the Molucca trade altogether, gnimbled at being compelled to cede a whole third of it ; while the English, who had never at any former period fitted out ten vessels on a single voyage for mercantile purposes, found it impossible to carry on their trade, while the larger portion of their capital was required to fit out vessels for war purposes only. The interest of the parties being thus apparently adverse, it is easy to imderstand how their former rivalry revived, and theii- enmity, instead of being sup- pressed, became more invete- rate. This fact was soon to be demonstrated by a fearful tragedy.

In the island of AmbojTia the English, under the autho- rity of the treaty, had estab- lished a factory and several agencies. The whole power, however, was in the hands of the Dutch. The strong castle of Amboyna. which they possessed at the date of the treaty, remained imder their own entire control ; state of

. . matt«n at

throughout the island they far outnumbered all other Europeans, and m its Amboyna. harbours were ships of war as well as merchant vessels, on whose assistance

I they could confidently calculate in any emergency. In such circumstances there was no external force from which they could seriously apprehend any danger; and yet, on the ground that a conspu'acy had been formed for the

Castle of Amboyna. — Jlaps, <fcc., in Royal Librarj-, British .Museum.