chap, xxix MIDDELBURG 319
It
was the year that the Chamber General was held there, for it is held
for four years in succession at Amsterdam, and two years at Middelburg.
The reason is, that Amsterdam owns half the Company ; Middelburg a
quarter; and Rotterdam, Delft, Home, and Encuse each a sixteenth ; and
the Company is not bound to hold the Chamber in either of these four
last, which only make up one-fourth, and have the right only to have a
vessel each year between the four, one year at Rotterdam, one year at
Delft, and similarly the others. For the same reason Amsterdam has
eight Directors, Middelburg four and the other four towns each its own
one ; this makes the number sixteen, though they always speak of
seventeen Directors, because the President has two votes.
On
the fourth day of my arrival at Middelburg I went to the India House,
where I found two of the Directors, who were already engaged in
delivering the chests to those to whom they belonged, and as soon as
they saw me they told me to claim mine ; this I did, at the same time
handing them the keys of my boxes, so that they might see for
themselves whether I carried anything which was contraband. Of these
two gentlemen one was from Zealand, and the other from Home, and the
latter took the keys to open my boxes. But the Zealand Director, more
civil than he of North Holland, told him I was free, that I was not
subject to the Company, and that it had afforded me a free passage. My
keys were at once returned to me, and one of the people of the store
was ordered to summon some sledges, which are used in Holland instead
of waggons, to convey my chests. I may say in passing, that it is not
only on this occasion that I have remarked that the more one approaches
the north the less civility and honesty we meet among the inhabitants,
and that manners followthe harshness and roughness of the climate.
The
same evening the Directors did me the honour to send one of their
officers to invite me to dine with them on the following day. Many
persons interested in the Company were at the repast, and I believe
that they were there less for the good cheer than to hear me talk,
thinking that I might know many things in regard to the private trade
which the representatives of the Company carry on in India. They
