part in its deliberations continued till 1626.  The Stadholders were also ex officio members.  The Provinces, since 1588, were represented by twelve councillors.  Holland had three; Gelderland, Zeeland and Friesland two each; Utrecht, Overyssel and Groningen (Stad en Landeri) one each.  The treasurer-general and the clerk (Griffier) of the States-General took part in the deliberations and had great influence.  The chief duty of the Council, during the period with which we are dealing, was the raising of the “quotas” from the various provinces for the military defence of the State.  The General Petition or War Budget was prepared by the Council and presented to the States-General at the end of each year, providing for the military expenses in the following twelve months.  The “quotas” due towards these expenses from the several provinces were set forth in smaller petitions sent to the Provincial Estates, whose consent was necessary.  The so-called repartitie fixing the amount of these quotas was likewise drawn up by the Council of State, and was the subject at times of considerable haggling and discontent.  In 1612 it was settled that the proportions to be borne by the provinces should be Holland 57.1 per cent.; Friesland 11.4; Zeeland 11 (afterwards reduced to 9); Utrecht and Groningen 5.5; Overyssel 3.5.  It will thus be seen that the quota of Holland was considerably more than half of the whole; and, as the naval expenditure was to an even larger extent borne by Holland, the preponderating influence of this province in the Union can be easily understood.  The forces of the republic that were distributed in the several provinces received their pay from the provinces, but those maintained by the Council, as troops of the State, were paid by monies received from the Generality lands, i.e. lands such as the conquered portions of Brabant and Flanders, governed by the States-General, but without representation in that body.  The Council of State, though its political powers were curtailed and absorbed by the States-General, continued to exercise, as a court of justice, appellate jurisdiction in military and financial questions.

The States-General consisted of representatives of the Estates of the seven sovereign provinces of Gelderland, Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Friesland, Overyssel, and Groningen (Stad en Landeri) in the order of precedence given above.  Gelderland, having been a duchy, ranked before those that had formerly been counties or lordships.  The provinces sent deputations varying in number; Holland and Gelderland generally six, the others less.  Each province had but a single vote.  The president changed week by week, being chosen in turn from each province according to their order of precedence.  Holland had nominally no more weight than the others; its practical influence, however, was great in proportion to the burden of taxation that it bore and was increased by the fact that the sessions, which after 1593 were permanent,