Which answer of his INIajesty, though expressed in polite terms and with a friendly disposition, did not please us, because the subject of the free use of the harbors was thereby postponed to the great prejudice of your High Mightinesses and your inhabitants; also, because his Majesty had appointed Commissioners to speak with us about the publishing of the books on Amboina, which we could not but suspect was designedly done to bring up the Amboina question before us on that occasion, with a view to require satisfaction therefor, and meanwhileto keep everything in suspense. We were afterwards confirmed in this opinion, because the Lord High Treasurer pretended ignorance of the aforesaid seizure, which, however, was made by order of the Commissioners of the Admiralty, whereof his Lordship is the first Moreover, being desirous to speak about it on another occasion to :

his Lordship, he let us know that Secretary Kooke had orders to give us an answer; coming to the said Kooke, we understood from him that he had heard nothing in the world about this matter. We cannot make up our minds to attend the meeting of the Commissioners, for we are not instructed, nor provided, for the Amboina affair, as we have stated at length in our previous letter to my Lord, the Prince of Orange. Meanwhile, we all foresee that the farther things go here, the worse they will become. A certain public officer here informed us, that, having understood the Council would meet on the 4"" inst., and intending to promote his own interest, he went to speak to one of the