History of the United Netherlands, 1602-1603



CHAPTER XL.

Protraction of the siege of Ostend--Spanish invasion of Ireland--
Prince Maurice again on the march--Siege of Grave--State of the
archduke's army--Formidable mutiny--State of Europe--Portuguese
expedition to Java--Foundation there of the first Batavian trading
settlement--Exploits of Jacob Heemskerk--Capture of a Lisbon
carrack--Progress of Dutch commerce--Oriental and Germanic republics
--Commercial embassy from the King of Atsgen in Sumatra to the
Netherlands--Surrender of Grave--Privateer work of Frederic Spinola
--Destruction of Spinola's fleet by English and Dutch cruisers--
Continuation of the siege of Ostend--Fearful hurricane and its
effects--The attack--Capture of external forts--Encounter between
Spinola and a Dutch squadron--Execution of prisoners by the
archduke--Philip Fleming and his diary--Continuation of operations
before Ostend--Spanish veterans still mutinous--Their capital
besieged by Van den Berg--Maurice marches to their relief--
Convention between the prince and the mutineers--Great commercial
progress of the Dutch--Opposition to international commerce--
Organization of the Universal East India Company.

It would be desirable to concentrate the chief events of the siege of
Ostend so that they might be presented to the reader's view in a single
mass. But this is impossible. The siege was essentially the war--as
already observed--and it was bidding fair to protract itself to such an
extent that a respect for chronology requires the attention to be