A LETTER FROM ROTTERDAM.

THe newes we have at preſent here, I ſhall impart to you. (as far as time will give leave.) About 2 or 3 months ſince, the Eſtates of Holland had ſome difference with the Prince of Orange, about caſ••er­ing or disbanding of forces, they deſiring that they might eaſe the people of their taxes, as the ot••r Pro­vinces have (they alone paying about 60 g. per cent. whenas all the other 6 Provinces pay but the remaining 40 between them all) they complained much of their Officers, that they abuſed them by falſe Muſtering their2 Souldiers; for if they were allowed 60 in a Compa­ny, they would not keep above 30. and the reaſon was (the Capt. ſay) for want of current payment, being forct to make uſe of men called Soliciteurs to furniſh them with Money, who deduct above 20 or 25 Per. cent. for their disburſment. Now the Eſtates of Hol­land indeed, did not ſo much deſire to disband any Sol­diers; but that the Companies being ſo ſmall, they might disband ſome Officers, and keep up all the Soul­diers, and by caſhiering of thoſe Soliciteurs, and by managing the buſineſs well in paying the Souldiers currently themſelves, they would ſave 100000 pound Per Annum. The major Vote in the States General was, to ſide with the Prince, the one having a Brother a Soliciteur, a Couſen perhaps a Col. another friend a Capt. &c. and they petitioning them and the P. of O­range continually to be kept up, and not disbanded: reſolved they would live and dy with each other, (now you muſt take notice that all the States General did not give their Votes to this, but the Major part; for 2 or 3 Provinces have ſince proteſted againſt their pro­ceedings) and then the Engliſh Cavelieriſh Col. and Capt. under his Command, with thoſe of the States General, (that had voted they ſhould not be disbanded) tickled him in the ear with many ſtrang things that they would do for him, and to curb Holland by the ſword, and to make him a Soveraign of theſe Coun­tries, and certainly to effect this, he wanted none of Charles Stuarts Councel, nor of his mother Mall nei­ther, for the Engliſh Malignants here did report tha•their deſign was a month ſince juſt as hereafter rela­ted. On the 20. June or there abouts, the Prince with his Colonels Capt. and other Officers, moſt Eng­liſh3 Malignants, with ſome Commiſſioners of the E­ſtates General, went about to all the towns in Holland, where the Prince was nobly entertained as their Gen. but at Amſterdam, Delph, Dort, Medemcleck, Harlen & Hoarne, they would not give them audience in their publick Common-Councels, (in their Towns) not ac­knowledging the Commiſſions they came withall, ſo they gave them no content; the Prince with the reſt returned again to the Hague, where they were all as it were mad that they could not obtain their ends; re­maining there, they ſtudyed day and night of a way how to obtain that by force, which (as they thought) could not be had with Love: So on Saturday laſt (be­ing the 30. alias 20. July) the P. of Orange ſeized on 6 Lords of Holland as they were in full Councel, viz. one of Dort, one of Delph, two of Harlen, one of Horn, two of Medembleck and thoſe two of Amſterdam eſca­ped; they were the next day all carried to a Caſtle near Gorcom called Loveſtein, being chiefly for a priſon, were none but traytors are put in. That ſame day viz. the 30. alias 20. July, the Prince gave Commiſ­ſion for his Army to march out of Gariſon to Amſter­dam; where on Saturday laſt in the morning, appear­ed 2000 horſe and 1000 foot; but being diſcovered by the Hamborough Poſt, the Lords of the Town were acquainted therewith, and command was given, the Gates ſhould be ſhut, and the Magazine being opened, about 300 pieces of Ordnance, was by the boys and labourers in the ſtreets drag'd up to the wals and Scon­ces, and Drums beat for the trained bands to be pre­ſently in Arms, which was effected: as alſo the Soul­diery that belongs to the Town, being about 5 or 600 were alſo in Arms, & kept ſtrict watch both at gates &4 walls, the ſame day a Company of their Soldiers with Carpenters went out, and cut down all draw Bridges, and got men of war in great number, to lye from Texel to the River Tye, for fear of forces to come in by Sea (as was reported) from Zealand, the mean time drums beat for to liſt Soldiers in the Town, and gave 15 ſti­vers a day, and in 2 days time had above 12000 Soul­diers in pay, on the Lords day they in the Town ſet o­pen their ſluces, and drowned all the land round about, ſo that the Princes ſouldiery was forc't to keep on the bank-ſides, which were high; the mean time moſt part of all his Army came down thither both horſe & Foot, and laid ſiege to it; and in 2 or 3 places began to make works againſt it. Take notice that till the Lords day noone he himſelf remained in the Hague, and knew no otherwiſe but his men were got into Amſterdam: but when he heard the contrary, he was mad and ready to tare his hair off his head, and ſeeing himſelf thus deprived of his hopes in the deſign, he (like a Lyon robbed of her whelps) did ſo take on, and immediatly in perſon went to the leaguer; where in a rage, as before mentioned, he began to raiſe works, but to no purpoſe. The mean time, this town of Rot­terdam ſtood nutral, and we expected every hour that ſome of his Souldiers would come and quarter upon us, but did not, and Dort, Delph, Leyden, Harlen and o­ther Townes ſhut their Gates, and were in Arms. On Munday and Tueſday the Eſtates of Holland (conſiſting of one or two men out of each Town) met, and re­ſolved to ſend for him home, and the States Gen. ſee­ing his deſign broke, they moſt of them fell off from him, and both ſent a Committee to him to Treat, and thoſe alſo of Amſterdam ſent to him, and on Wedneſ­day laſt they were agreed as followeth.

That the Army ſhall again march to their quarters, and the town ſhall not be moleſted; but that trading may be free, and thoſe that were the cauſers of this trouble, ſhall give an account for it afterward; which ſhall be diſ­puted at the next meeting at the HAGUE.

It is my opinion, that though the buſineſs is appeaſed for the preſent; yet ſome heads will fly for it, and the P. himſelf, if his head remains on his ſhoulders, it will be well: however they all ſay, they will take a great part of his power from him. Certainly if he had taken AMSTERDAM, he would have made himſelf Soveraign of theſe Countries, to have made ſlaves of theſe people of Holland; His intentions were to have ſeized upon the Banck there, and the ſtock of the town, which is many millions. The people in general hate this odious deſign of his, and as well Magi­ſtrates as people ſay plainly, they may thank his brother Charls for this, and had he ob­tained his deſi•e, he had moſt aſſuredly curb'd the Eſtates of Holland for their friendly aſsiſt­ance or correſpondency, and would have bin very able to aſſiſt his Brother; but we may ſee much of God in this buſineſs, and I hope6 theſe Countries will make a faſter union with England then ever yet they have done. The Engliſh Malignants here, are ſad at this buſineſs, for they were in hopes, and were confidently aſſured had this deſign gone on, that their deſign alſo would be promoted by it. I have thus as near as I can, given you the relation of this bu­ſineſs; for any other particulars, I refer you to Am­ſterdam Letters, Vale.

If the troubles had continued, I had ſent my wife & child to London per this paſſage now a going, per whom alſo many families of our Engliſh would have gone, all things being packed up in a readineſs; but now we ſhall wait to ſee what God ſhall farther do with us. Some of your Company removed their cloth to Zealand, for it was not here without danger; For a great many Companies of Souldiers were quartered at the Hague and we did expect them or others here, and the Malignants would have been favoured, but the better party burthened.

The Lord of Dort that was taken priſoner (by name De Witt) is dead, its thought poyſoned.