Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 2.djvu/484

 440 DUTCH HISTORY cuted, though he offered to embrace Christianity to save his life, an honour, says the Dutch historian, of which he was deemed unworthy 1 From the year 1650 to 16,53, the insurrection of Amboyna assumed a more formidable aspect than ever. A monster of energetic character, called Vlaming, was governor, and wantoned in blood and executions^ I shall give a few examples of his proceedings* The Dutch had agreed to take any quantity of cloves tendered by the natives at a fixed frice^ and although this fixed price was lower than the people had been accustomed to receive from the other strangers that resorted to their market, still the quantity brought in was too great for the re- stricted consumption to which the abuses of the monopoly necessarily gave rise. Vlaming resolved upon the destruction of the cloves every where but at Amboyna^ the immediate seat of the Dutch power, where he imagined production might be restricted to the limited demands of the monopoly market. The natives were exasperated to the last degree by this iniquitous and unheard of invasion of property, and flew to arms to defend their just rights. Even the chiefs who owed their promotion to the Dutch influence revolted, and all the islands were involved in a general insurrection. On the 28th of August 1650, Vlaming ordered the execution of twenty nobles. Some were strang- led, — others broken on the wheel,— and others cast