To this disposition of the kingdom Napoleon, who had already made up his mind, paid not the slightest heed.  On July 9 an Imperial Decree incorporated Holland in the French empire.  “Holland,” said the emperor, “being formed by the deposits of three French rivers, the Rhine, the Meuse and the Scheldt, was by nature a part of France.”  Not till January 1, 1811, was the complete incorporation to take place; meanwhile Le Brun, Duke of Piacenza, a man of 72 years of age, was sent to Amsterdam to be governor-general during the period of transition.  It was a wise appointment, as Le Brun was a man of kindly disposition, ready to listen to grievances and with an earnest desire to carry out the transformation of the government in a conciliatory spirit.  With him was associated, as Intendant of Home Affairs, Baron D’Alphonse, like himself of moderate views, and a Council of Ministers.  A deputation of twenty-two persons from the Legislative Assembly was summoned to Paris for consultation with the Imperial Government.  To Amsterdam was given the position of the third city in the empire, Paris being the first and Rome the second.  The country was divided into nine departments—­Bouches de l’Escaut, Bouches de la Meuse, Bouches du Rhin, Zuiderzee, Issel superieur, Bouches de Issel, Frise, Ems Occidental and Ems Oriental.  Over the departments, as in France, were placed prefets and under them sous-prefets and maires.  All the prefets now appointed were native Dutchmen with the exception of two, De Celles at Amsterdam and De Standaart at the Hague; both were Belgians and both rendered themselves unpopular by their efforts to gain Napoleon’s favour by a stringent enforcement of his orders.  The Dutch representation in the Legislative Assembly at Paris was fixed at twenty-five members; in the Senate at six members.  When these took their seats, the Council of Affairs at Amsterdam was dissolved and at the same time the Code Napoleon unmodified became the law of the land.

Napoleon’s demands upon Holland had always been met with the reply that the land’s finances were unequal to the strain.  The debt amounted to 40,000,000 fl.; and, despite heavy taxation, there was a large annual deficit in the budget.  The emperor at once took action to remedy this state of things by a decree reducing the interest on the debt to one-third.  This was a heavy blow to those persons whose limited incomes were mainly or entirely derived from investments in the State Funds—­including many widows, and also hospitals, orphanages and other charitable institutions.  At the same time this step should not be regarded as a mere arbitrary and dishonest repudiation of debt.  The State was practically bankrupt.  For some years only a portion of the interest or nothing at all had been paid; and the reduction in 1810 was intended to be but a temporary measure.  The capital amount was left untouched, and the arrears of 1808 and 1809 were paid up at the new rate.  That financial opinion was favourably impressed by this drastic action was shown by a considerable rise in the quotation of the Stock on the Bourse.