―188―

For the Literary Magazine.

thoughts on the former and
present state of holland.

CIVIL liberty, as distinguished
from political, is the grand purpose
for which civil society was formed,
and government instituted. With
respect to this, the Dutch had ad-
vantages, before their revolution,
which left them no room for com-
plaint; and however imperfect their
political constitution might be deem-
ed, they actually enjoyed more free-
dom than the inhabitants of most
other countries.

The spirit of moderation is truly
admirable with which the govern-
ment of the Dutch republic was ge-
nerally administered, and the res-
pect which it commonly paid to the
privileges of the people. Some of
these are such as even Americans
might envy: for the house of a
Dutch burger may with much more
propriety be termed his castle, than
that of a subject of our laws can be.
No sheriff's officer, no exciseman,

―189―

nor even any inferior officer of jus-
tice can pass his threshold without
his permission; nor can he, on any
account, be taken out of his habita-
tion, except by the judges them-
selves, who, for this purpose, must
accompany the constables.

The equity of the courts of judi-
cature was unvaried, and the secu-
rity of private property inviolable.
The taxes were heavy: but this
must be ascribed to the nature of
the country, the preservation of
which from inundation required a
very great expence; and these taxes
were imposed, not by an arbitrary
monarch, who demands them to sup-
ply the splendid luxury of his court,
or who employs them in supporting
numerous armies, in order to extend
his tyrannic sway; not by a rapa-
cious minister, who plunders the
people, in order to fill his own cof-
fers, to enrich his friends, or to exe-
cute his plans of personal revenge;
but by the representatives of the na-
tion, for such were the deputies of
the states: these must consent to
the tax in the name of their fellow-
citizens, and, when they have done
this, must bear their own share of
the load which they have imposed
on the public.

In general, taxation in the United
Provinces was conducted with great
wisdom. In no country did the in-
habitants pay greater sums to go-
vernment, but, from the manner in
which they were collected, the bur-
den was scarcely perceived; and
great care was taken, especially in
extraordinary impositions, to spare
the lower class of citizens as much
as possible. Even from the heavy
tax of two per cent. on all property,
whether real or personal, exacted
to carry on the present war, all
those are exempted, who can swear
that they do not possess two thou-
sand five hundred florins (a thou-
sand dollars), exclusively of house-
hold furniture, linen, and clothes.

How far this desirable state of
things is changed, since the country
was subdued by the French, it is
difficult for us, at this distance, to

tell. Conquest is a very indefinite
term, and implies things that have
no relation to each other, as it takes
place in different circumstances,
among different nations, and under
different leaders.

We have no reason to believe
that the French interfere in the civil
administration of the provinces.—
Their power is chiefly exerted to
procure money; but this is demand-
ed and obtained in the lump, and
the sums are levied on the people,
in a way and by officers appointed
by the native authorities, as formerly.

As to political liberty, if we con-
fine that term to those who ex-
pressly chuse their governors by pe-
riodical elections, the Dutch never
at any time possessed it. If we
make the criterion of political liberty
the inclination or acquiescence of
the people, the general conviction
as to the validity and sacredness
of the title of those who actually
govern, the Dutch possessed as much
of it, and no more, than the Rus-
sians, Austrians, and Spaniards.—
All government is founded on opi-
nion, and the subjects of the most
despotic prince in Europe are not
less politically free, are not less
completely governed with their own
consent, than any of the democratic
cantons which once existed in Swit-
zerland.

According to the vulgar notions
of political liberty, as resulting from
the government of great numbers,
periodically and expressly chosen by
a majority of those who have the
male sex, mature age, and some
property, the Batavians are freer
than they ever were. How far their
civil liberty has been affected by the
recent revolutions, it would be well
worth while to enquire. That they
labour under heavy inconveniences
and privations is certain; but the
greater part, if not the whole, of
these are to be ascribed to the war,
and will therefore cease when the
war ceases, however their political
independence may be influenced by
that event.